Cross

In gently SE-sloping pasture overlooking Lough Atedaun to the SE, and adjacent to a large ecclesiastical enclosure (CL017-119001-) which lies just to the W. Marked and labelled as ‘Cross’ on both the first (1842) and Cassini (1920) editions of the OS 6-inch map. This simple finial sandstone cross (H 0.43m; Wth 0.36m; T 0.1m) ‘ornamented with rude chisel work, and a good deal damaged’ (Macnamara 1900, 30) has a curving head and arms which narrow toward their ends (min. Wth 0.1m). The cross is set loosely at an angle in a vertical socket (L 36m; Wth 0.18m; D 0.17m) at the top of a rectangular sandstone base (H 0.74m; basal dims. L 0.57m; Wth 0.48m; top dims. L 0.59m; Wth 0.37m at base). The cross was not the object for which this base was intended and Macnamara (1900, 30) suggested that a cross shaft was originally set in the base. There is a worn lip (Wth 3.5cm; H 1cm) around the top edge of the socket and the rain-water which collected in the socket was widely believed to cure warts in both humans and animals (ibid.). Macnamara (ibid.) found the base set at the top of a ‘heap of stones faced by large, rough flags’. In 1999 the base was found oriented NE-SW (i.e., unlikely to be in its original position), standing in the centre of a square-shaped concrete platform (L 2.9m; Wth 2.7m) which was overshadowed by a whitethorn tree. Swan (1991, 63) suggested that this cross may have originally marked the approach to the entrance to the nearby ecclesiastical enclosure. In 1999, an architectural fragment (CL017-119005-), a window jambstone, was identified in the graveyard (CL017-119003-) c. 18m to the W of the cross; this architectural fragment was subsequently moved to beside the cross (Large 2011).   Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy and Conn Herriott   Date of upload: 16-10-2025

A high cross at Kilvoydan, likely erected between the 8th and 10th centuries, is associated with an adjacent ecclesiastical site and may be dedicated to a local saint; its survival offers insight into early Christian worship and artistic tradition in the region.