What is recorded here

No. 159 at Ráithín Uí Bhuaigh bears an unusual cross with two diagonal lines supporting both arms and diagonal marks rising from the shaft, while small crosses and the letters J C appear beside it. The stone stands among at least thirty recovered cross-slabs on elevated ground overlooking Dingle Harbour, preserved through later landscape changes made by Lord Ventry. Whoever cut those marking lines gave the dead a visible shape, perhaps for a person remembered through J C rather than forgotten beneath grass.

In 2010 a graveyard survey carried out by Laurence Dunne recorded the following details about a cross-inscribed stone no. 159: 'Raheenyhooig- Ráithín Uí Bhuaigh Graveyard [KE053-059002-] is situated on elevated ground, at 50m OD, sloping towards and overlooking Dingle Harbour 0.8km to the north. Examination of the 2nd Edition of 1896 clearly shows the enormous changes that Lord Ventry made in 1870 including the planting of trees, construction of squared off enclosing banks and new roadway as well as the Ventry mausoleum-denoted ‘Vault’ on the map. An ‘L’ shaped pathway is also shown. Of particular interest is the denotation of the remains of the previous enclosure [KE053-059001-] or raheen of the burial ground by a curving array of hachures. In the course of this study a coherent section of the early enclosure and at least thirty archaeological artefacts (mainly cross-slabs) were recorded at Raheenyhooig. Sixteen previously unrecorded cross-slabs were recorded in Raheenyhooig Graveyard. They are disposed around the centre of the graveyard within the limits of the earlier enclosure. Two very lightly incised cross-slabs are located close together (159 and 160). One (159) is incised with an unusual cross that has two diagonal lines supporting both arms. The upper part of the shaft displays a series of diagonal lines emanating up and out from it. There are two small equal armed crosses above and below the left arm of the main cross. Above the lower one the letters J C are inscribed' (Dunne 2010, 12). See attached plan and photograph courtesy of Laurence Dunne Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien based on details provided by Laurence Dunne Date of upload: 28 June 2022

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