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. Slightly tapering slab (H: 0.615 m, W: 0.435 m, Th: 0.063) the upper three quarters of which are filled with a cross encircled by a false relief band (W: 0.017 m). The cross is formed of twin false relief strands which form Stafford knots at the terminals of the upper arms and diverge before passing into the nearest arm, leaving a worn flat boss in the expansion at the crossing. The strands of the shaft fuse with the false relief band and pass beyond it before coalescing with the general surface of the slab. Below this their outer delimiting lines form mirrored two-turn spirals, which become progressively shallower and thinner towards their centres. 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