Cross-slab in Inis Gé Thuaidh

One of two cross-slabs associated with a large circular platform (MA023-014033-), it stands upright on the E edge of the platform. The other cross-slab (MA023-014035-), which originally stood on the S half of the platform, is now in the National Museum of Ireland. This cross-slab is a National Monument in state ownership (no. 379). It consists of a subrectangular granite slab with a gently rounded top, bearing a carving on its W face. The incised design, which fills almost the full available space, is composed of a cross of arcs enclosed within a circle outlined by twin grooves. Extending from beneath the circle is a cross-like extension outlined by a double line, which expands at the base of the shaft into a pelta motif or crescent with half-turn spirals; the horizontal arms are slightly more elaborate with twin strands bifurcating into a pelta-like terminal. (Henry 1945, Pl. XXV111, Slab 3). The carving is now weathered and difficult to see. Henry excavated the area immediately surrounding the slab in 1938 and found a concentration of animal bones at the base of the slab (ibid. 141-143). Attached images: MA023-014034-_01.JPG Decorated W face of the cross-slab MA023-014034-_02.JPG Image published by F. Henry (1945, Pl. XXV111, Slab 3) Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy Date of upload: 28 July 2023

Date likely to the early medieval period, given the form of the cross-slab. Such monuments were often associated with Christian worship or memorial activity, possibly linked to early monastic or settlement sites.