After Monday’s post about St Mary’s Cathedral in Tuam, County Galway which featured a High Cross, here is another of the latter, located to the west of the church in the hilltop village of Tynan, County Armagh. This one has a rather complex history. There may have been an ancient monastic settlement in Tynan, but the cross, having been moved at least twice, was only placed in its present position in 1960 and is composed of elements from two monuments, although both are believed to date from the 10th century. The upper shaft and head derive from one cross and the lower shaft comes from another. The east face of the lower shaft incorporates a carved panel showing Adam and Eve; on the opposite side is a heavily weathered panel showing a tall figure and several smaller figures. Above panels of interlaced decoration, the head, decorated with tall bosses with traces of interlace, has been extensively mended and partially reconstructed.
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