High Crosses - Notable Crosses

Notable Crosses

Amongst the most famous are:

• Muiredach's Cross and West Cross at Monasterboice, County Louth
• The Clonmacnoise crosses: Cross of the Scriptures (the original 9th century cross is housed in a museum, but a copy stands on the original site), and the North and South Crosses.
• The Nether (or Lower) Cross, a 9th century granite cross with ornate carving, in the graveyard of St. Canice's Church, established by St. Canice, Finglas village, Dublin. The Cross was taken from its original location in the grounds of St. Canice's Abbey and buried to prevent damage by Cromwellian forces in 1649. It was found 160 years later intact and moved to its present location.
• The Anglo-Saxon Ruthwell Cross from Scotland, 8th century, with relatively large figures.
• The Anglo-Saxon Bewcastle Cross Northumbrian
• The Anglo-Saxon Irton Cross, Cumbria showing affinity to the style of Bewcastle
• The Pictish/Early Medieval Dupplin Cross in Strathearn, Scotland
• The Pictish/Early Medieval Camus Cross in Angus, Scotland
• Classic examples of 9th-century Pictish cross-slabs: Aberlemno 2 and 3 at Aberlemno, Angus
• The 8th century Kildalton Cross from the Hebrides
• Iona Abbey has two crosses, with others on the island.
• Saint Tola's High Cross. A 12th century cross at Dysert O'Dea near O'Dea Castle showing Christ and a bishop carved in high relief on the east side, with geometric motifs and animal ornament on the other sides. On the west side of the base are shown the Temptation, with Adam and Eve beneath the tree of knowledge, while on the north side is some ceremony with several figures holding croziers. This is a particularly finely preserved twelfth-century example, that does not use the circle of the Celtic cross.
• The Ahenny High Crosses. The two sandstone Ahenny crosses date from the 8th to 9th centuries and are among the earliest of the ringed high crosses. Ahenny, County Tipperary, near the Kilkenny border, and the Monastic site of Kilclispeen, or the church of St. Crispen
• Ardboe High Cross, a 10th century cross near Cookstown, eroded, showing 22 panels with scenes from the Old and New Testaments.
• St. Kevin's Cross, Glendalough, a 12th century cross, well preserved, made of granite.
• South Cross, Kells, County Meath, the best preserved of several 10th century crosses.
• Doorty Cross, Kilfenora, County Clare; 12th century, has a bishop and two other clerics carved on it.
• Kilree High Cross, 9th century high cross said to be the burial place of Niall Caille, located 4 km southeast of Kells Priory, Co. Kilkenny.
• Three crosses at Kilkieran, County Tipperary: Plain Cross (unadorned), West Cross (with much ornamentation), Long Shaft Cross (has a long shaft with decoration).
• The two Moone High Crosses, in County Kildare near Moone. The large cross is believed to have been carved between 900 and 1000 AD. It is highly decorated and 5.33 m. high