What is recorded here

Breakers took the chest and base before anyone could copy the name. They left a palm-wide ribbon of stone, a partial cross and two letters, EC, floating above an empty frame. The missing parts may have held a common Christian name or a whole life. The slab still fits the width of a human hand, small enough to carry out of the graveyard and into a wall, a road or a riverbank.

Clonmacnoise grave-slab inventory (1992) number: CLN00038 Dimensions: H 0.29.5, W 0.30, T 0.065 Outline cross in a single line frame. Part of an inscription survives above the frame. Inscription: 'EC' Evidence of discovery: Macalister 1949 Condition: Fragment. Part of two cross arms and inscription. National Monuments Service, Photo number: 81-1360. 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 is likely from the early medieval period, associated with Christian monastic activity in the area. The inscription "EC" may represent an initial or dedication, though its exact meaning remains uncertain.

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