Cross-slab in Cloon AND Commons

One of two cross-slabs (LI001-004002-) incorporated into a church (LI001-004001-) on the grounds of 'Cloon Island Ho.' which stands 20m to the SW. Church ruins situated on top of 'Cloon Island', overlooking the River Shannon from SW-W-N with the village of Castleconnell to SE. Cross-slab (b) described by Crawford (1912, 240) as following; 'Built into the west wall of the ruined church [LI001-004001-] on the island close to Castleconnell and Doonass. (b) A slab carved with a Latin cross potent in a plain rectangular frame'. Recently described by Okasha and Forsyth (2001, 187-8) as following; 'Cloon island is a former island in the channels of the river Shannon, 7km downstream of Killaloe. The site now covers approximately nine acres but the water is considerably lower than previously, due to a hydro-electric scheme extraction. The ruined church [LI001-004001-] may date from the twelfth century. In addition to the inscribed stone [LI001-004002-], evidence of an early medieval foundation is provided by an uninscribed cross-slab (H. 65 cm, W. 80 cm) incised with a Latin cross with expanded terminals, enclosed in a rectangular frame. Between the church and the house [Cloon House] there is a cross-base [LI001-004005-], with a T-shaped slot, of unknown date.' Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 1 May 2020

Date likely to the early medieval period (5th–12th century), given its form as a cross-slab associated with a church site. Such stones often had Christian symbolic meaning, possibly marking a holy site or serving as a memorial.