Cloncha Church and Cross

Map Reference: C526470 (2526, 4470)

The old church at Clonca is a 17th century building incorporating fragments from an earlier building.



Above the west doorway is a badly weathered lintel. It bears figure carving but the representation is unclear. Inside the church is a fine gravestone decorated with a cross flanked on one side by foliage and on the other by a sword and a hurley-stick and ball. The base of the cross is expanded foliage. On either side of the cross head is an inscription indicating that the stone was made by Fergus MacAllan for Magnus MacOrristan.



Beside the stone is another plainer stone and beside that is a small cross-inscribed stone. Just outside the churchyard, in a field to the west, is a tall cross with a partly restored head. It is about 4m high and the shaft is about 40cm wide by 20cm thick. The arms are about 90cm across.



The W face of the shaft is divided into three panels. The top and bottom panels have double-band interlace inside a frame.



The centre panel has figure carving including kneeling animals and seated humans. On the E face of the shaft there are four panels.



The bottom panel has two spirals, the second panel is covered with an irregular fret-pattern and the third panel has double-banded interlace. The top panel possible represents the 'Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes'.



There is some other figure carving on the surviving arm of the cross.