| Corpus Refs: | Harbison/1992:125 Macalister/1949:586 |
| Site: | KELLS |
| Discovery: | recognised, 1934 Macalister, R.A.S. |
| History: | Harbison/1992, 100--101, notes that this cross had been known since the 17th century, but that only Macalister himself has seen the inscriptions upon it. He also notes that the cross is `to the west of the Protestant church...[and that] it may still have been reasonably complete in the mid-17th century...[and that] the shaft has probably been re-erected at some period unknown'. |
| Geology: | |
| Dimensions: | 2.61 x 0.77 x 0.46 (Harbison/1992) |
| Setting: | on ground |
| Location: | on site Harbison/1992, 100: `to the West of the Protestant church'. |
| Form: | Cramp shaft A |
| Condition: | incomplete , poor Harbison/1992, 100--101, notes that only the base and much of the shaft survives, with both the head and cross having now disappeared. |
| Folklore: | none |
| Crosses: | none |
| Decorations: | animal; boss; figural; geometric other; other Harbison/1992, 101--103, argues that the East face shows the following scenes; the Baptism of Christ, the marriage feast of Cana, the raising of Lazarus (or maybe the miracle at the pool of Bethseda), Jesus delivering the adulteress (or maybe Jesus with the Samarian woman at the well), the washing of the child Jesus, the three wise men questioning Herod and the entry of Christ into Jerusalem. On the south side Harbison notes the presence of `a sunken cross, with terminals made of spiral-decorated bosses which are linked to other similar bosses above and below. Some of the interlinking bands seem to be bitten by animals emerging from some of the bosses', and then further up the shaft in the next panel, `interlace forming semi-circular patterns', and then `interconnecting bosses'; `fretwork with spiral terminations', and finally `a series of interlacing serpents with curling tails'. On the west face Harbison records the following scenes; Adam and Eve knowing their nakedness; Noah's Ark; Moses turning the water of Egypt into Blood; the pillar of Fire and the Passage of the Israelites through the Red Sea. On the north side Harbison notes `two human head enmeshed by biting serpents emerging from bosses'; `corners filled with fretwork leave an upright lozenge shape in the centre of the panel, which is filled with bossed decoration'; `a regular interlace of four animals, which are further interlaced by narrow ribbons with lobed or animal-headed terminals'; and then in the uppermost panel 'decoration no longer visible'. |
| Macalister, R.A.S. (1934): | OROITDOARTGAL | DORIGNE {I}CHROSSEMUIREDAIG Expansion: OROIT DO ARTGAL DO RIGNE I CHROSSE MUIREDAIG Translation: Prayer for Artgal (PN) who made this cross of Muiredach (PN). Macalister/1934 17 reading only |
| Macalister, R.A.S. (1949): | OROITDOARTGA{L} Expansion: OROIT DO ARTGAL Macalister/1949 35--36 reading only |
| Orientation: | horizontal |
| Position: | E ; base ; n/a ; undecorated |
| Incision: | inc |
| Date: | None published |
| Language: | Goidelic (rbook) |
| Ling. Notes: | none |
| Palaeography: | The inscription as drawn by Macalister/1949, 35, is half-uncial; he also shows, the final L placed superscript above the rest of the inscription, perhaps as a result of the lapidary running out of space. |
| Legibility: | poor Macalister/1949, 34: `the inscriptions here recorded...are without exception the most difficult to see, not to say decipher in all Ireland...Whoever wishes to study them must come prepared to spend the entire day waiting for proper conditions of light: I have found that the lettering is most clearly seen during the few minutes when the sun is shining between the Round Tower and the `Patrick and Columba' cross, and even then visibility varies'. Harbison/1992, 101: `it is impossible to make out anything of the inscription now -- if it ever existed'. |
| Lines: | 1 |
| Carving errors: | 1 |
| Doubtful: | yes |
| Macalister, R.A.S. (1934): | BENDACHTARARTGAL | O~R~ DOMUIREDACH Expansion: BENDACHT AR ARTGAL OROIT DO MUIREDACH Translation: Blessing upon Artgal (PN): a prayer for Muiredach (PN). Macalister/1934 17 reading only |
| Macalister, R.A.S. (1949): | BENDACHTARARTGAL Expansion: BENDACHT AR ARTGAL Macalister/1949 35--36 reading only |
| Orientation: | horizontal |
| Position: | W ; base ; n/a ; undecorated |
| Incision: | inc |
| Date: | None published |
| Language: | Goidelic (rbook) |
| Ling. Notes: | none |
| Palaeography: | The inscription as Macalister/1949, 35, draws it, is in half-uncial. |
| Legibility: | poor Macalister/1949, 34: `the inscriptions here recorded...are without exception the most difficult to see, not to say decipher in all Ireland...Whoever wishes to study them must come prepared to spend the entire day waiting for proper conditions of light: I have found that the lettering is most clearly seen during the few minutes when the sun is shining between the Round Tower and the `Patrick and Columba' cross, and even then visibility varies'. Harbison/1992, 101: `it is impossible to make out anything of the inscription now -- if it ever existed.' |
| Lines: | 1 |
| Carving errors: | 0 |
| Doubtful: | yes |