The Tau cross, named for the Greek letter T it resembles, lacks the upper arm of the more familiar Latin cross, giving it a distinctly archaic appearance that connects it to early Christian and even pre-Christian symbolic traditions. One of the two here is inscribed with a simple cross, pressing one symbolic form onto another in the compressed visual language common to Early Christian stonework in Ireland.

The complex at Kilmalkedar, known in Irish as Cill Maoilchéadair, sits at the foot of the western slopes of Reenconnell hill, overlooking Smerwick Harbour on the Corca Dhuibhne peninsula. The ridge above peaks at just over 900 feet, and spurs of the hill shelter the site to the north and south, giving it a secluded, bowl-like quality that feels appropriate for a place of continuous spiritual use from the Early Christian into the Medieval period. The graveyard here holds a varied collection of markers beyond the two Tau crosses: small stone crosses, one carrying faint traces of a three-sided outline square at the junction of arms and shaft on its west face, as well as inscribed stones bearing Latin crosses with expanded terminals and the familiar R.I.P. formula. One grave is marked by what appears to be a reused spud stone, a modest agricultural object pressed into memorial service, which suggests the kind of improvised continuity that characterises living burial grounds over many centuries.

The site is well known among those who follow the Cosán na Naomh, the ancient pilgrimage route across the peninsula, and the graveyard remains in use. The Tau crosses are small and easy to overlook among the broader accumulation of markers, so it is worth moving slowly through the older sections and looking closely at stones that might otherwise read as plain or unremarkable.