Cross-inscribed stone (present location) in Unknown Townland

A re-used saddle quern with a design, similar to that on the base of the Marigold stone at Carndonagh, was dug up c. 1900 on Inishtrahul Island, Co. Donegal (see DG002A003----) and was transferred to the National Museum of Ireland (JRSAI 1961, 90). According to a letter from the NMI the cross-inscribed stone was acquired by the museum in 1959. 'It is described as a reused saddle quern found 8' (inches) below the surface of the earth while excavating foundations for a fog station on the island (c.1900). The design seems to represent a flabellum as e.g. on one of the Carndonagh stones and could be anything from 7th-9th century' (NMI Correspondence files 1981). Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 15 April 2013

A re-used saddle quern with an inscribed cross design, likely dating to the early Christian period (5th–9th century AD), suggests a transition from domestic use to a funerary or commemorative object. Such stones may have had Christian symbolism associated with local memory or burial practices.