5th Class History Project 2005
Dromiskin High Cross
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Dromiskin High Cross
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Near the old ruined church
in Dromiskin Graveyard there is a head of a High (Celtic) Cross, made from
granite. The cross is said to have
originally marked the burial place of Aedh Finnliath
(Hugh of the Yellow Beard), who was a High King of Ireland.
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The
panels
on the cross arms represent hunting scenes with horsemen and attendants chasing
deer. This may show Aedh himself.
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The
centre
piece is a raised square panel with a central carved boss showing
abstract intertwined animal forms.
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There are
four
small bosses at the edges of this panel, which look like rivet heads. This
stone cross may be a copy of an earlier timber cross.
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The opposite side of the cross arm depicts a raised
Celtic design with a central boss.
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This cross is clearly
not
an abbot’s cross because it does not depict any biblical scenes.
It was said to have been taken from an old monastery at Baltray (Seabank).
The shaft and the top of cross have
disappeared, but the late Rev. N. Lawless, P.P. of Kilcurry, erected the
cross-piece in 1918 on a plain granite shaft and base over his family grave.
There were three distinct types of High
Cross.
1. The
first type had a long shaft and arms made of timber,
so when the high crosses began to be made of stone, this feature was included.
2. The
very detailed High Crosses of the 9th, 10th and 11th
Centuries contained scriptural pictures
and stood on plinths. The best example of this type is St.
Muireadach’s Cross in Monasterboice.
The top of this cross is finished off like a small church with a gabelled roof.
3. Later
crosses of the 12th Century had a smaller
ring with one big figure, and some interlaced feature on it.