'Clonmacnoise - Crosses' : High Cross
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Visit Notes
Sunday, 30th June 2002
There are three crosses here - the North Cross, the South Cross and the famous Cross of the Scriptures.
The crosses were taken inside the interpretation centre in 1993 and copies placed outside where the originals stood. The copies are very good. I did not go into the centre on this visit as I arrived very late.
The North Cross is just the shaft that is mainly given over to zoomorphic patterns that would have scared me to death as a kid. They are quite beautifully executed.
The South Cross is more ornate with two biblical scenes on the base and only a crucifixion (with earth and ocean represented by Tellus and Gaia) on the head - this is unique though. The remainder of the shaft is covered in patterns and knot work.
The Cross of the Scriptures is a work of art! This cross has several unique features including upturned arms to the cross and the ring standing proud of the cross. All four faces are covered in wonderful biblical scenes too numerous for me to list here, but the include the Last Judgement, Christ's Entry into Jeruselem, Christ Under the tomb-slab and Joseph Interpreting the Butler's Dreams.
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_Sunday, 23rd March 2003
Definitely take the time to see the original crosses in the Visitor's Centre. For one thing they are much better than the copies which now occupy their original positions.
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A Random Selection of Nearby Monuments
3.5 Km (ESE) there is a Rock Art at Clonfinlough.
9.9 Km (NNW) there is a Portal Tomb at Mihanboy (Co. Roscommon).
4.5 Km (WSW) there is a Grave or Cross Slab at Cloonburren (Co. Roscommon).
282.8 m (SW) there is a Castle at Clonmacnoise.
A Selection of Other High Crosses
 Moone (Co. Kildare) |  Downpatrick (Co. Down) |  Monasterboice (Co. Louth) |
 Carndonagh (Co. Donegal) |  Glendalough Cross (Co. Wicklow) |  Lorrha (Co. Tipperary) |
About Coordinates Displayed
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This is an explanation of (and a bit of a disclaimer for) the coordinates I provide. Where a GPS figure is given this is the master for all other coordinates. According to my Garmin these are quite accurate. Where there is no GPS figure the 6 figure grid reference is master for the others. This may not be very accurate as it could have come from the OS maps and could have been read by eye. Consequently, all other cordinates are going to have inaccuracies. The calculation of Longitude and Latitude uses an algorithm that is not 100% accurate. The long/lat figures are used as a basis for calculating the UTM & ITM coordinates. Consequently, UTM & ITM coordinates are slightly out. UTM is a global coordinate system - Universal Transverse Mercator - that is at the core of the GPS system. ITM is the new coordinate system - Irish Transverse Mercator - that is more accurate and more GPS friendly than the Irish Grid Reference system. This will be used on the next generation of Irish OS maps. |
