What is recorded here

Equilateral cross with corner pieces and stepped terminals on a lost Clonmacnoise grave slab, drawn by Petrie in 1822 and bearing the broken words OR AR…MAINA. The line work is so clean it sounds like a challenge: draw a cross, contain it in a square, and leave the corners proud. Whoever lay it down may have believed that shape could hold a name when the name itself had begun to dissolve.

Clonmacnoise grave-slab inventory (1992) number: CLN00008 Dimensions: Not known. Equilateral cross in a square with corner pieces and stepped terminals drawn with one line. Inscription: 'OR AR…MAINA'. Evidence of discovery: Drawn by Petrie at Clonmacnoise in 1822. Condition: Now lost. Stokes, M. (1878) Christian Inscriptions in the Irish language, Vol 1, p XX, no. 50. The Clonmacnoise inventory was compiled by the Office of Public Works. A copy of the record for this slab is available for inspection in the relevant Archaeological Survey of Ireland (SMR) file. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien. Date of upload: 23 May 2011

Cross-slab in Clonmacnoise likely dates to the early medieval period (6th–10th century AD), reflecting Christian symbolism and craftsmanship associated with monastic sites in Ireland. The inscription "OR AR…MAINA" may be a fragment of a personal name or dedication, and the equilateral cross suggests a liturgical or commemorative function.

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