In 1835, while some work was being carried out in the graveyard of the ruined church, two sections of a high cross were discovered. They had been well-preserved and so the Duke of Leinster arranged for the re-erection of the cross. Later another section was found, but was not added to the cross for another sixty years.
Images courtesy Erik Lounsbury
The cross itself, stands 17½ feet high (this includes
the base). It is reputed to date from the eighth century. Irish high
crosses were not intended to mark out places of burial, but were constructed
to act as embellishments or boundaries for monasteries, or indeed for
didactic purposes of religious instruction. This is conclusive as the
iconography of the cross pertains to that of the popular form of prayer
at that time, with references to both the old and new testaments. The
cross is an impressive monument and one of the best preserved of its
kind in Ireland.