Stone sculpture in Curraheen (aghnameadle Par.)

Positioned upright within a cairn (TN028-100----) within the E portion of an enclosure known locally as a burial ground (TN028-098----). There are good views to the N and N, but limited to the E by peaks S and SW of Devilsbit Mountain and limited S and W by rising ground and by hills, including Knockanora, beyond. At the E end of a grass-covered cairn (H 0.83m; overall dims. 7m N-S x 9m E-W; Wth at crest c. 3m), below the crest, there is a roughly rectangular slab (H 0.59m above ground; max. Wth 0.217-0.235m; T 0.045-0.09m), rounded on the upper SW angle, which is decorated on the W face with a figure in low relief, on the lower E face and upper S side with incised spiral motifs and on the upper NW angle and on the surface of the upper portion of the E face there is an ogham inscription. The figure (H 0.5m; Wth 0.22m), with arms outstretched, appears to represent the crucified Christ. He has a large oval bald head with an incised crown of thorns, large almond-shaped eyes defined by eyebrows, a long nose which swells out at the end, curving lines on either side define the checks and a large closed mouth, with well-defined curving lips. He is wearing a torc around his neck and is dressed in a long garment with a seam around the neck and horizontal band separating the upper portion of the garment from the skirt. The upper portion is decorated with vertical lines from neck to waist, with horizontal lines for the sleeves. There is no clear indication of hands, the sleeves appearing to terminate at the edge of the slab, though the lines on the sleeves could be interpreted as being very stylised fingers. The skirt is decorated in an irregular checker board pattern consisting of ten vertical rows subdivided into small rectangles by irregular horizontal lines. The two southernmost rows have smaller subdivisions. There is a rather crude horizontal band along the bottom of the skirt. Beneath the skirt are the lower portion of the legs with feet splayed outward, these are small in proportion to the body and are simplistically carved. Along the upper NW angle of the slab there is an ogham inscription (total L 0.133m), adjacent to the carved head. It consists, from bottom to top, of a single line which continues on both faces, a gap followed by four horizontal lines only on the N face, a gap followed by two horizontal lines which continue on both faces and a gap followed by five horizontal lines which continue on both the N and W face. The inscription reads as ACOI if read, as per the convention, from bottom to top, however, the inscription makes more sense if read from top to bottom, which gives IOSA, the Irish for Jesus. This suggests that the ogham is modern as the carver has a knowledge of ogham script while is unfamiliar with the medieval conventions of reading order. The ogham appears to be providing a title for the accompanying carving of Christ. The upper portion of the E face of the slab is thinner where the outer surface has broken off cleanly along an irregular diagonal line running downward from N to S. The relatively flat upper surface that remains is incised with at least two faint horizontal stem-lines, with a third shorter one below, with vertical and diagonal lines forming more ogham script. This inscription is obscured by lichen. The lower portion of the E face of the slab is decorated with an incised double spiral pattern. The upper portion of the S side of the slab is decorated with another spiral pattern, different to that on the E face, with a smaller upper spiral and a larger lower spiral, which appears to be transected by a diagonal band, beneath which a portion of the spiral is incised in a series of approximately thirty closely spaced curving lines, partially obscured by lichen. The style of the carving, the unconventional ogham inscription and the random nature of the spiral patterns all suggest that this is a modern interpretation of an early medieval slab, possibly dating to the Celtic Revival in the 19th century, but could also date to the 20th century. See attached photographs: TN028-099----_01 W face TN028-099----_02 E face TN028-099----_03 upper S side Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 8 February 2023