1798 Monument

Freestanding Celtic high cross style memorial monument, erected c. 1948, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Granard (1798 Rebellion). Comprises carved limestone high cross with Celtic interlacing in bas relief to principal face (east) and set on a stepped limestone base and plinth. Inscription to base. Located on an elevated site to the west end of Granard and to the east of St. Mary’s Roman Catholic church (13305005).

Irish rebels fought British government forces at the Battle of Granard in 1798 during the wider 1798 Rebellion. The battle ended in a rebel victory, but its strategic impact was limited; it mattered as a symbolic and morale-boosting event in the struggle against British rule.

This well-carved and impressive memorial monument was erected to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Granard, which took place during the 1798 Rebellion. The Battle of Granard took place on the 5th of September 1798 when a force of some 6,000 Irish rebels attacked a force of yeomanry in the town. It is based on the style of the high crosses at Ahenny, County Tipperary. It uses the traditional Irish symbol of a Celtic high cross, which is one of the most common styles used for Irish memorial monuments. The standard of workmanship to the Celtic interlacing is particularly noteworthy and is of artistic merit. It was erected to designs by Simon Aloysius Leonard (1903 – 1976) of W.H. Byrne and Son architects.