Cross-slab, Reachlainn Uí Bhirn, Co. Donegal

Cross-slab, Reachlainn Uí Bhirn, Co. Donegal

Standing atop a leacht at Reachlainn Uí Bhirn in County Donegal, this triangular stone slab offers a glimpse into Ireland's early Christian heritage.

Cross-slab, Reachlainn Uí Bhirn, Co. Donegal

The weathered monument, measuring 51cm in height, tapers from its apex down to a narrower base, with its width varying from 20.5cm at the widest point. The stone’s natural fracturing has created two distinct faces; one broad and relatively flat surface, whilst the opposite side presents a shorter, narrower facet that extends just 37.5cm in length.

Both faces of the slab bear simple Latin crosses carved near the apex, though each displays its own character. The cross on Face A, the broader side, measures 20cm tall and 15cm across the arms, cut into shallow channels with rounded bases and slightly rounded terminals. Remarkably, traces of red paint still cling to this cross, hinting at how these monuments might have appeared in their original state. Face B features a smaller, less regular cross positioned at the very top of its facet, measuring 13.5cm by 10.5cm, with shallower grooves and no visible paint remnants.

First documented by Walsh in 1983 and later described by Herity in 1995, this cross slab represents the type of memorial markers that once dotted the Irish landscape, serving as both religious symbols and territorial markers. The presence of crosses on both faces suggests it was meant to be viewed from multiple angles, perhaps marking a significant boundary or sacred space within the early medieval landscape of Donegal.

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Walsh, P. 1983 The monastic settlement on Rathlin O’Birne Island, County Donegal. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, 113, 53-66. Herity, M. 1995 Two Island Hermitages in the Atlantic: Rathlin O’Birne, Donegal, and Caher Island, Mayo. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, 125, 85-128.
Reachlainn Uí Bhirn, Co. Donegal
54.66393266, -8.82555305
54.66393266,-8.82555305
Reachlainn Uí Bhirn 
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