Cross — High cross in Unknown

Now housed in the Black Mills Interpretative centre in Roscrea (see TN012-010011-). This sculpture was previously located in Rockforest House, c. two miles east of Roscrea and was moved to Timoney Park, four miles SE of the town, in 1907 (Roe 1967, 127). The sculpture consists of a hollow three-sided pillar (dims. 0.4m x 0.35m x H 0.9m) with a small hole on top and one side missing. The hole and the missing side may be the result of the pillar being used as a trough (ibid.). The pillar has rounded moulded corners - its E face is decorated with fanciful animals and the S face has a possible hunting scene along with geometric and interlace patterns (Harbison 1992, vol. 1, 163; Roe 1967, 127-32). Described by Harbison (Harbison 1992, vol. 1, 163) as following; 'Where it originally came from is unknown, and while it has been suggested that it came from Monaincha, there is no evidence for this. It has rounded mouldings at the corners. EAST FACE Bottom: Unidentified scene. - On the bottom of the east face three figures seem to hold up sticks or spears and advance to the right towards a (?) seated figure, behind whom there may be another figure. The seated figure seems to grasp at the stick of the foremost standing figure which projects upwards to the panel above where it crosses what seems to be an animal figure, and where it has an unusual boss that may represent DAVID PRESENTING THE SAUL THE HEAD OF GOLIATH ON A STICK. Centre : (?) DANIEL IN THE LIONS' DEN. - What seems at first like a boss in the centre is, in fact, ….head, as a body can be seen below it. There is apparently an animal on either side of the figure, so that the scene could represent DANIEL IN THE LIONS' DEN. Above the central figure there is a semi-circle seeming to contain two men on the left, the front one with a long stick held diagonally above the head of the central figure, and there would seem to be animals in the right-hand portion. Top : Griffin - On top there is a beaked griffin, possibly holding two legs in its mouth. SOUTH SIDE S 1 : Unidentified scene - A figure on the left may ride on a quadruped, and there may be a figure behind a (?) tree and two further figures in front. The state of the carving is too poor ro be able to make any definite identification, but the panel could conceivably represent THE ENTRY OF CHRIST INTO JERUSALEM, akin to that on the left of the bottom register of the base pf the west face of the Cross of the Scriptures at Clonmacnois. S 2 : Four small and seemingly interlinked bosses, with other larger ones forming a rough circle around it . S 3 : A quadruped with high arched body, either swallowing a serpent or having it emerge from its mouth which is turned backwards. NORTH SIDE N 1 : (?) A hunting scene - A panel with much abraded figure sculpture, of which all that can be made out is a man on the right with a spear over his shoulder. As there may also be a quadruped on the left, it is possible that this may be a hunting scene of the kind found on the bases of some High Crosses. Above it, there is probably an animal interlace enclosed by a riassed circular moulding. N 2 : A quadruped which is more likely to be a winged griffin than a horse with rider'. The above description is derived from 'The Archaeological Inventory of County Tipperary. Vol. 1 - North Tipperary' compiled by Jean Farrelly and Caimin O'Brien (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2002). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.