Stone Cross — Drumcolumb

In the centre of a graveyard (SL027-141002-), 4m E of the ruin of Drumcolumb church (SL027-141001-) and within the N half of an ecclesiastical enclosure (SL027-141----). Described by Crawford (1918, 177) as the 'head of a plain cross with solid recessed ring… broken in two places'. A sketch from 1914 shows these two breaks, one above and the other below the ring (SMR (1989) file). The cross (H 0.5m; Wth 0.45m; T 0.1m), which is set upright in a low cairn of stones, is now eroded and weathered and the projecting arm above the ring (at the old break) has broken off. The arms project beyond the ring on one side but not on the other. Harbison (1992b, vol. 1, 74) noted that the four 'depressions' between the arms and the ring which are present on one face are only pecked out on the other face. He also stated that 'the cross-head could be later than 1200' (ibid.). The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Sligo' compiled by Ursula Egan, Elizabeth Byrne, Mary Sleeman with Sheila Ronan and Connie Murphy (Dublin Stationery Office, 2005). Date of upload: 18 January 2008