Dromin Church and Motte, Louth.html

Dunleer

Cross slabs

Dunleer Church of Ireland Church is dedicatd to St Brethan and St Frethan. Built in 1830 it retains some fabric from the 13th century. This may include the crenellated west tower, with its pointed arched doorway and round-headed window. Situated inside the porch are three, early christian, cross inscribed stones. The metre long stone nearest the door, pitured below, is quite remarkable, it bears an inscribed latin cross with an inscribed ring. Inside the four quarters of the ring is an inscribed symbol of Greek origin. Top left is the Alpha symbol and top right Omega. Below left IHC an abbreviation for the name Jesus and bottom right XPC meaning Christ. On either side of the ring, at the top, are two symbols made with three strokes, one of these may be an M representing Maria. This would be the only irish cross slab bearing this symbol. At the bottom of the slab an inscription reads: OR DO MAELPH......... 'a prayer for Mael-Ph....' Unfortunately the stone is broken off at this point. It has been suggested it may have been Mael Phatraic.

Dunleer Cross slabs Dunleer Church of Ireland Church is dedicatd to St Brethan and St Frethan. Built in 1830 it retains some fabric from the 13th century. This may include the crenellated west tower, with its pointed arched doorway and round-headed window. Situated inside the porch are three, early christian, cross inscribed stones. The metre long stone nearest the door, pitured below, is quite remarkable, it bears an inscribed latin cross with an inscribed ring. Inside the four quarters of the ring is an inscribed symbol of Greek origin. Top left is the Alpha symbol and top right Omega. Below left IHC an abbreviation for the name Jesus and bottom right XPC meaning Christ. On either side of the ring, at the top, are two symbols made with three strokes, one of these may be an M representing Maria. This would be the only irish cross slab bearing this symbol. At the bottom of the slab an inscription reads: OR DO MAELPH......... 'a prayer for Mael-Ph....' Unfortunately the stone is broken off at this point. It has been suggested it may have been Mael Phatraic.
The irregular shaped slab is situated furthest from the doorway, it bears two ringed cross heads crudely carved in relief with part of an incised cross of arcs broken off at the narrow end. I particularly love his stone, probably because sometimes I appreciate more, the effort made by unskilled worker, than that of a trained craftsman. I also like the third cross slab at Dunleer, see bottom image. The small slab is positioned between the larger slabs and bears an inscribed ringed cross with a stepped base. The centre was hollowed out to give it false relief, but later a deeper depression was cut in the centre of the ring and also the stem. The graveyard has a 17th century gravestone in memory of a Richard Basford dated 1679.
Situated: In the porch of Dunleer Anglican Church just of the Main Street. Discovery Map 36: O 0577 8810. Last visit. Longitude: 6° 23' 38.1" W Latitude: 53° 49' 54.5" N Google Map Photos: José Gutiérrez.
Ref: Garstin, John Ribton. “Some Inscriptions in Irish in the County of Louth.” Journal of the County Louth Archaeological Society, Vol. 5, no. 1, 1921, pp. 3–12. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/27728130.