What is recorded here

An M vanished from the inscription between Macalister's notebook and modern measurement, leaving only T AR AN above a cross outline small enough to hold in two hands. The slab disappeared in 1949 and returned in 1984, not as a complete monument but as a fragment sharp enough to preserve its own history. Clonmacnoise kept giving back what it took, changing shape each time, as if remembering through loss rather than continuity.

Clonmacnoise grave-slab inventory (1992) number: CLN00563 Dimensions: H 0.17, W 0.195, T 0.04 An outline cross (?) with an inscription above it. Inscription: 'T AR AN'. Macalister suggested '[OROI]T AR AN[MAIN' - he saw the 'M', since lost. Evidence of discovery: Macalister 1898-1905. Lost in 1949, refound in 1984. Condition: Fragment of cross and inscription.. The Clonmacnoise inventory was compiled by the Office of Public Works. A copy of the record for this slab is available for inspection in the relevant Archaeological Survey of Ireland (SMR) file. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien. Date of upload: 23 May 2011

Probably early Christian period, 7th to 10th century AD. The cross and inscription may commemorate a local figure or event, with the partial text possibly relating to a dedication or name.

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