What is recorded here

One Graveslab in Rathmichael stands out because it stopped being a marker for a dead person and became part of the living church. That change is easier to accept when the slab is large enough to carry a window, old enough to predate the present building, and strong enough to still be trusted. The dead did not disappear; they were redrawn into the life of the place.

This graveslab is built into the E gable of Rathmichael church (DU026-050002-), forming the lintel over the window. It was noted by Thomas Drew in 1869. The slab (L 1.63m x wth 0.57m-0.54m x T 0.11m) is formed from granite (Healy 2009, 114, No. 76; Swords 2009, 68). The church lies on the E slopes of Carrickgollogan. See attached drawing of graveslab taken from Healy 2009, 114. Compiled by: Geraldine Stout and Padraig Clancy. Revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revised upload: 17 May 2023

Early Christian gravestone, likely 7th–9th century AD; significant as a rare surviving example of early medieval funerary art integrated into a later ecclesiastical structure.

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