What is recorded here

Half a metre of forgotten prayer still stands at Clonmacnoise, its angular frame catching light while the missing cross fades into myth. Macalister found the fragment before the century closed, proving that even broken stone can preserve the shape of devotion. The small step in the corner suggests a carpenter’s habit rather than divine command, as if humanity built the sacred before withdrawing.

Clonmacnoise grave-slab inventory (1992) number: CLN00399 Dimensions: H 0.52, W 0.31, T 0.08 An unusual stone with part of a semicircular terminal containing fret pattern inside a rectilinear frame with a step in the corner. No inscription. Evidence of discovery: Macalister 1898-1905. Condition: Fragment with part of cross design.. 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

Date likely to the early Christian period (6th–10th century AD), associated with the monastic site of Clonmacnoise. The design may symbolize spiritual protection or serve as a funerary marker, typical of insular Celtic Christian art.

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