What is recorded here

Mason Island in County Galway holds a broken sandstone slab where a ringed cross stops at an oval face with almond eyes and an open mouth. The cross becomes a body, the body becomes a bridge between the living and whatever waits behind the chamber nearby. It is no longer on the island, but the carve still points upward, inviting the watcher to complete what the break left unfinished.

This cross-slab is one of two (see also GA076-011006-) associated with the leacht (GA076-011005-) c. 8m to the SW of the church (GA076-011001-) on Mason Island. Recorded by Higgins (1987, vol. 2, 356-7, no. 79), the sandstone slab is subrectangular in shape and is broken along its left side and top. It bears a ringed two-line Greek cross with a human head. The head, at the top of the cross, is oval in outline and has almond-shaped eyes, a straight nose and a slightly open mouth. A ridge below the forehead defines the eyebrows; described by Higgins (ibid.) as a face cross. The cross-slab is currently in the care of the National Museum of Ireland, Dublin. Compiled by: Olive Alcock Updated by: Olive Alcock Date of revised upload: 27 July 2023

Probably dating to the early medieval period (7th–10th century), the cross-slab likely served a Christian commemorative or liturgical function, associated with the nearby church and leacht. Such stones often bore religious symbols or inscriptions, reflecting the spread of Christianity in the region.

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.