Cross-slab (present location) in Inishmurray

Brought to the Schoolhouse/OPW conservation store from Teach Molaise (SL001-001005-) in the Cashel (SL001-001001-) in 1989. Slab (H: 0.49 m, W: 0.49 m, Th: 0.07 m) with cross whose shaft is formed from a wide false relief band from which two strands emerge forming a Y shape. It is decorated with an incised shafted cross (0.10 m by 0.04 m) with cusped serifs, which stands on its base. The upper arms comprise twin false relief strands and terminate in irregular Stafford knots. At the unusually large crossing, these strands form a complex, but not entirely coherent, interweave comprising five concentric rings along with diagonally disposed strands that form a Saltire cross at the centre. The above description is derived from the results of a survey of the archaeological monuments on Inishmurray undertaken in 1997-1999 and published in: Jerry O’Sullivan and Tomás Ó Carragáin 2008 Inishmurrary. Monks and pilgrims in an Atlantic landscape. Volume 1: Archaeological Survey and Excavations 1997-2000. Cork. The Collins Press. Date of upload: 12 March 2018

Date likely to the early medieval period (5th–11th century AD), based on the form of the cross-carved slab. Such stones may have had a Christian ritual or commemorative function, possibly marking a burial site or serving as a boundary marker.