Set into the east and south walls of the south aisle, they are easy to overlook, positioned as architectural afterthoughts rather than centrepieces, which is precisely what makes them worth stopping for.

Each slab carries an incised floriated cross, a decorative form in which the arms of the cross terminate in stylised foliage or floral motifs, a design that was common in medieval Irish ecclesiastical carving. Below the cross on each slab is a stepped base, a detail that grounds the composition and was a recognisable convention in Irish grave-slab design of the medieval period. The slabs are recorded under the reference DU015-029001- and were compiled as part of the archaeological record by Geraldine Stout. Beyond what the carving itself tells us, the historical record is quiet on who these slabs commemorated, which is not unusual. Many medieval grave markers were never inscribed with names, leaving the identity of the buried entirely to local memory, which rarely survives intact across centuries.

The slabs are located within the church building at Howth, so access depends on the church being open. It is worth checking in advance rather than making the trip and finding the doors closed. If you do get inside, give your eyes a moment to adjust and then look to the south aisle specifically, both the east-facing and south-facing walls. The incised work is relatively fine rather than deeply cut, so the carvings reward close attention and benefit from raking light, the kind of low, angled illumination that tends to occur on overcast days or during early morning visits, when shadows settle into the carved lines and make the floriated detail legible in a way that flat midday light does not allow.