Cross-slab (present location) in Inishmurray

Brought to the Schoolhouse/OPW conservation store from Teach Molaise (SL001-001005-) in the Cashel (SL001-001001-) in 1989. Slab (H: 0.89 m, W: 0.25 m, Th: 0.03 m) comprising two re-joined fragments. Its surface is filled with a shafted cross in false relief. This element divides into pairs of strands just before the crossing which intersect one another before passing into opposite flanking cross arms. The false relief also divides into strands at the terminals which, in the case of the horizontal arms, comprise simple Stafford knots. The upper and lower terminals are worn but were more complex. At the base the strands each loop twice around an independent element in the shape of a downward-facing ‘D’, before joining again and tapering to a point suggestive of a skeumorphic spike. In the upper right-hand quadrant is a short inscription: T[U/A][R] A [I/L/N/M] [ ]. One possible reading is ‘tarais’, an abbreviation of taraisse meaning trustworthy, faithful, worthy of confidence (DIL), though on balance the second letter is more likely to be ‘u’ than ‘a’. The above description is derived from the results of a survey of the archaeological monuments on Inishmurray undertaken in 1997-1999 and published in: Jerry O’Sullivan and Tomás Ó Carragáin 2008 Inishmurrary. Monks and pilgrims in an Atlantic landscape. Volume 1: Archaeological Survey and Excavations 1997-2000. Cork. The Collins Press. Date of upload: 12 March 2018

This cross-slab likely dates to the early Christian period (5th–11th century AD) and may have originally served as a memorial or waymark. The presence of a cross suggests a Christian association, possibly linked to the monastic activity on Inishmurray.