What is recorded here

Half a metre of worn stone, a cross locked inside a double circle, its arms blurred by rain and time. The voids still hold TA…CH, a name or prayer broken by decay. In Clonmacnoise, where generations laid their dead beneath open sky, this small slab may have marked one life among thousands. The cross does not decorate; it holds shape when memory cannot.

Clonmacnoise grave-slab inventory (1992) number: CLN00279 Dimensions: H 0.38, W 0.23, T 0.06 Outline cross in a two line circular frame. The semicircular terminal expansions have no ornament and the circular centre is composed of two lines. The outer line of the cross makes up the inner line of the frame. Inscription: Inscription in the voids 'TA…CH'. Evidence of discovery: Davis 1984. Condition: Very worn. Part of centre, 2 cross arms and frame.. 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

Early Christian period, likely 7th to 10th century. The cross-slab may have served as a grave marker or commemorative monument, reflecting the Christian monastic tradition of Clonmacnoise.

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