What is recorded here

Tonaknock graveyard stands opposite Killahan Church in County Kerry, marked by a crude 3.5m limestone cross whose six clockwise circles may depict Christ. Tradition claims a cannonball struck during the Ballymacaquim Castle attack, snapping off the south arm. O'Donovan found the whole structure whitewashed in 1841, hiding its ancient lines beneath a pale coat.

Tonaknock stone cross is situated opposite Killahan Church and graveyard (KE015-108001-. This carved limestone measures 3.5m high x .65m wide x .33m thick. It is of crude workmanship and marks an early stage in the development of the Irish high cross. The W face of the cross displays six circular motifs which may symbolically represent the figure of Christ. The incised circular motifs would all appear to go in the same, clockwise direction. There are two at the head, two on the left arm, one in the centre, and one just below the central motif. The S arm of the cross is missing. This was, according to tradition, blown off by a cannonball during an attack on nearby Ballymacaquim Castle (KE015-110----). When O'Donovan (1841) visited this cross and took a description, the whole cross would appear to have been whitewashed. The above description is derived from C. Toal, ‘North Kerry Archaeological Survey’. Dingle. Brandon in association with FAS Training and Employment Authority (1995), no. 878. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 3 August 2013

Early Christian standing stone; 7th–9th century. The Tonaknock stone cross is significant as a rare example of early Irish high crosses, indicating the presence of Christian activity and artistic tradition in the region during the early medieval period.

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