What is recorded here

Graveslab in Eanach Dhúin preserves a broken fleur-de-lis that once marked a buried life beneath the chancel arch. Wilde recorded it in 1867 after it emerged from rubbish under the church, and the surviving fragment still lies embedded in the nave corner. Its missing lower half may have named the dead, shown their rank or completed a prayer now lost to time.

This graveslab, which was brought to our attention by Dr Jim Higgins, Heritage Officer, Galway City Council, is one of 'two remarkable tombstones' (see also GA069-001022-) recorded by Wilde (1867, 69) that were discovered in the rubbish that had accumulated under the site of the chancel arch of the church (GA069-001013-). It consists of the roughly hewn upper fragment (L 0.74m; Wth 0.52m; T 0.007m) of the slab, which is now embedded in the ground in the NE corner of the nave. The face is decorated with a large fleur-de-lis motif with traces of a smaller decorative feature below this on the N side of the slab. The detail is very difficult to make out. Wilde's (ibid.) illustration indicates that there was also a corresponding decorative feature on the S side of the slab. Updated by: Olive Alcock Date of revised upload: 11 June 2018 The following image has been uploaded: GA069-001021-_05.jpg

Graveslab in Eanach Dhúin is a medieval Christian gravestone, likely dating to the early medieval period (c. 7th–12th century). Its significance lies in its association with early Christian burial practices in the region and its potential link to the historical site of Eanach Dhúin, a former monastic settlement.

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