Cloone

A monastery was founded in Cloone during the latter part of the sixth century by St Fraech. It was traditionally believed to be situated at St James's church graveyard in Cloone. During reconstuction of the graveyard wall in the 1990's a fragment from the shaft of a high cross was found. This fragment along with two corbel stones from a later medieval church have been built into a modern wall surrounding the graveyard. The fragment is roughly 50 cms in height and formed the top part of the shaft, where it supported the head. The south face, pictured below right bears an ecclesiastical figure, possibly representing the founder of the monastery, St Fraech. He may be holding a book or a bell. The south face bears a seated female, it been suggested she could be holding a child. It is believed it could be the only representation of the Virgin and Child on an Irish High Cross. Christine Grant wrote an excellent article about this fragment in the 1994 winter edition of Archaeology Ireland.

A short time after this fragment was found, the transom or cross arm of a high cross head was found in St Mary's graveyard, c.120 metres south-east of St James's. The size and style of the two fragments are similar. In fact the double roll moulding around the edges of both fragments are perfectly matched. In the image above you can see a figure carrying a crozier, possibly a Bishop. The lowest part of the figure is missing, but it matches the feet and robe carved above the female figure on the north face of the shaft. The other side of the shaft bears a crucified Christ? Amazingly around this time the high cross base, pictured bottom was also discovered in St James's Graveyard. All three parts are thought to belong to the same high cross.