What is recorded here

Half a ring cross no taller than a man’s forearm, chipped from Clonmacnoise, still carries the ghost of a name lost with the fragment Macalister held in 1949. What remained of BAID has vanished into time, leaving only a double outline and a square centre to hint at the hand that cut it. The absence does not diminish the place; it sharpens it, calling the forgotten name forward every time the stone is handled.

Clonmacnoise grave-slab inventory (1992) number: CLN00172 Dimensions: H 0.22, W 0.08, T 0.045 A double outline ring cross with a square centre and possibly a frame. The fragment seen by Macalister is now lost. Inscription: An inscription 'BAID' is now lost. Evidence of discovery: Macalister 1949 Condition: Fragment of a cross arm. National Monuments Service, Photo number: 81-1378. 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

A 9th- to 10th-century Christian cross-slab, likely associated with the monastic settlement of Clonmacnoise; such crosses often served as grave markers or devotional symbols. The design reflects Insular artistic traditions and may have had both spiritual and commemorative functions.

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.