Cross-inscribed stone, Lullymore, Co. Kildare
Co. Kildare |
Crosses & Monuments
Somewhere in the boglands of Lullymore, a cross-inscribed stone once stood, or at least is thought to have stood, at a spot that can no longer be confirmed with certainty. That qualifier, "presumed original location", is doing considerable work here. It points to the kind of quiet archaeological puzzle that is easy to overlook: an object has survived, but the ground it came from has not quite kept its secret.
Cross-inscribed stones are among the earlier expressions of Christian devotion in Ireland, typically simple incised crosses cut into a slab or boulder, often associated with monastic enclosures, burial grounds, or pilgrimage routes. Lullymore itself has a long ecclesiastical history rooted in the early medieval period, set within the raised boglands of the River Barrow basin in County Kildare. The stone in question is catalogued by researcher M. Kelly as "Cross 3" in a 2006 study of such monuments, suggesting it belongs to a group of related stones recorded in the area rather than standing alone as an isolated find. Beyond that designation and its associated site reference, the precise circumstances of the stone's movement or discovery remain unrecorded in what has come down to us.
