Monasterboice Monastic Site

The most impressive feature in the Monasterboice monastic site, near the entrance to the graveyard, is the South Cross or Muireadach's Cross, one of the finest high crosses in Ireland, which takes its name from an inscription on the west side asking for "a prayer for Muireadach." Dated to the 10th C., it stands 16ft 9in/5.1m high and has reliefs on all four sides which are remarkable both for their form and their execution. A variety of scenes are represented in square panels on the shaft. On the east side are Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, David and Goliath (?), Moses stiking water from the rock (?), the Adoration of the Kings, Christ as Judge surrounded by good and bad souls, and Michael weighing souls; on the church-shaped summit of the cross is the meeting of saints Paul and Anthony in the desert. On the west side can be seen the Arrest of Christ (?), Doubting Thomas (?), Christ with saints Peter and Paul (?), the Crucifixion and an unidentified scene. On the north side are saints Paul and Anthony again, the Scourging, the Hand of God and interlace ornament and on the south side the Flight into Egypt, Pilate and more interlace ornament. On the base are hunting scenes, interlace ornament and meander patterns.

The West Cross or Tall Cross at the Monasterboice monastic site is unusually high (21ft/6.4m) and also richly decorated. Not all the 22 scenes represented can be identified. On the east side are David killing the lion, the Sacrifice of Isaac, the Three Young Men in the Fiery Furnace, the Arrest of Christ, the Ascension and St Michael with the Devil. On the west side are the Vigil at the Tomb, the Baptism, the Mocking of Christ, the Kiss of Judas and the Crucifixion. The base has ornamental patterns.

Of the North Cross, in the northeast corner of the graveyard of the Monasterboice monastic site, only the upper part and a section of the original shaft survive. The old sundial (pre-Gothic), enclosed within a railing, is a decorated granite block over 6ft/1.8m high; its age cannot be determined.

The ruins of the two churches are of no particular interest. The round tower, 50ft/15m in diameter, stands 108ft/33m high even though the top section is missing. The entrance, 6ft/1.8m above the ground, is now reached by a fixed staircase, which for safety reasons is no longer accessible to the public.