Cross-slab in Croughal

Conry church ruins (WM025-005001-) stands inside an Early Christian ecclesiastical enclosure on a natural rise of ground surrounded by poorly drained land known as the 'Island of Conry'. On the 1656-9 Down Survey map of Churchtown parish this townland was known as 'Conry & Cloghoule' (NLI, MS 723-4), the latter was anglicised to the present Croughal which lies in the parish of Churchtown. In 1641 the lands of Conry and Cloghoule belonged to Henry Dalton who is listed in the Down Survey as an 'Irish papist' (ibid.). Poorly preserved lichen-covered Early Christian cross-inscribed slab located 8m NW of twelfth century Conry Church (WM025-005001-). Recumbent graveslab decorated with an incised cross with D-shaped or semi-circular shaped expanded terminals that are decorated with interlace or spiral motif. The expansional cross is contained with a double line incised frame. Only a portion of the incised cross was visible at time of inspection, the surface of the central part of the slab has flaked away due to erosion. Gravelsab described in 1978 as following; 'To the NW of the church (WM024-005001-) there is a rough limestone slab with remains of an inscribed cross of Early Christian date' (SMR file). The cross-slab and church are situated inside a large oval shaped enclosure (WM025-005002-). A second cross-slab (WM025-005004-) is located immediately S of the church. Compiled and revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revised upload: 05 March 2019

Probably dating to the Early Christian period (5th–9th century AD), the cross-slab in Croughal likely served a religious or commemorative function, possibly associated with the nearby ecclesiastical site at Conry. Its location within an enclosed sacred landscape suggests it may have marked a burial, a boundary, or a place of worship.