What is recorded here

Half a metre tall and nearly a metre wide, the slab holds a large initial cross yet the name Dubdach still demands more attention than the sacred symbol. Erosion has softened the edges and lime has scarred the surface, but the carving marks remain visible enough to read the prayer preserved inside the stone. What is lost is the life behind the name, the hands that cut it and the reason Dubdach needed a cross at Clonmacnoise.

Clonmacnoise grave-slab inventory (1992) number: CLN00019 Dimensions: H 0.495, W 0.87 Large initial cross, but the inscription is dominant. Because of the erosion the carving marks are quite visible. Inscription: 'OR DO DUBDACH (MAC)'. Evidence of discovery: Macalister 1898-1905 Condition: Very worn, damaged by lime, design partly eroded. National Monuments Service, Photo number: 81-1402 Lionard, Early Irish Grave-slabs, PRIA 60(1959-60), p 102, Fig 1, no. 1. 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

Cross-slab in Clonmacnoise likely dates to the early medieval period (7th–10th century AD), reflecting the Christian tradition of memorial stones in Ireland. The inscription "OR DO" may be an abbreviation of a personal name or a prayer, typical of early Irish funerary inscriptions.

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