1994:196 - CLONMACNOISE, Offaly

Excavation was carried out under the North Cross in 1993 (see Excavations 1993, 66) and under the South and West (Cross of the Scriptures) crosses this year.

South Cross
The South Cross was moved into the new Visitor's Centre in October 1992 and a replica put in place on the site. At that time six Early Christian cross slab fragments and one fragment of a post-medieval slab were found immediately underneath the cross (see Archaeology Ireland 1992, Vol. 6, No. 4, 22–3). One of these early fragments had the name Fogartach above an equal-armed cross within a square frame.

A 3m square was opened and dug to a depth of c. 1.7m and a further four cross slab fragments were uncovered. A circular pit 0.6m in width and c. 0.85m in depth was found underneath the cross. This pit, which was probably capped with the 'Fogartach' slab and another cross slab, contained a very small amount of animal and human bone and a bronze polyhedral-headed ringed pin. Twenty-six burials (many incomplete) were uncovered surrounding the cross. Twenty of these had clearly been interred when the cross was in position, were orientated west-east and are probably relatively modern. Six burials (all male) were found in graves cut into the natural gravels, were orientated south-west to north-east, and are probably medieval. Three of these had stone settings (one with ear muffs) around the head and one had a small flat iron object. All these burials would appear to have been interred avoiding the cross and central pit except one which was earlier than the pit. The suggestion is being made that there may have been an earlier wooden 'cross' on the site which was subsequently removed and the pit backfilled with yellow sand. It is uncertain whether the ringed pin was placed in the pit accidentally or deliberately but it would appear that the Fogartach slab and another cross slab were placed on top of this pit and that the stone cross was then placed in position.

West Cross (Cross of the Scriptures)
The West Cross was moved into the Visitor's Centre in 1991 and a replica placed in the same position on site. The replica was moved to allow a 3m square to be opened around the location of the cross. The depth of this cutting was 1.8m. A pit, which had evidence for recutting, was also found in the centre of this cutting underneath the base of the cross. It was rectangular, 0.42m by 0.34m and 1.4m in depth, with traces of wood adhering to two sides. Surrounding the cross twenty 'modern' burials had been inserted into a brown sandy soil, and, cut into the yellow sandy subsoil, six 'medieval' burials aligned south-west to north-east were uncovered. These were all male, aligned in string fashion head to toe and some had small stones near the head. All had at least one animal bone either close to the head or near the hands. Underneath the brown sandy soil in which the 'modern' burials were found there was c. 0.85m of occupation deposits with evidence for an old sod layer, hearths, stakeholes etc. Iron objects, slag, worked antler, charcoal and animal bones were recovered.

It would appear that this area of the site to the west of the cathedral had been used initially for settlement. Subsequently, a wooden rectangular ? 'cross' had been erected and burials were then interred around the monument. Subsequently the wooden monument was removed, the pit backfilled and the stone cross placed in the same position. A further seven cross slab fragments were recovered from the brown sandy soil.

Skidoo, Ballyboughal, Co. Dublin