09 July, 2023

Cooly Cross and Skull House

The Cooley Cross is located just outside the perimeter walls of an ancient graveyard near Moville. This is an early example of a High Cross and dates to the 8th century AD. The cross stands 10 feet high, is plain, and has an odd-looking hole on its top. This hole is thought to have contained a peg serving as a ‘gnomon’ for a rudimentary sundial and so the vertical shadow indicated the hour of noon. There is a cross with a similar hole on the greater Aran Island where the vertical shadow line is marked. At the base is a large flat stone containing a crude representation of a human foot, traditionally ascribed to St. Patrick himself. These types of hole-stones date back to pagan times and are thought to be used during marriages when couples joined hands when making vows.
Info courtesy of the curiousirelandwebsite


The Skull House is believed to be the resting place of Moville’s local Saint Finian.


37 comments:

  1. Pictures from a different time. Yet they seem like from a different world to me.
    Just look at the assembly of the stones. They stood against the weather all the time. "Impossible" to build anything like that today...

    ReplyDelete
  2. The stones render the scene so original.

    ReplyDelete
  3. La cruz parece un tanto inclinada. La construcción de piedras hace un buen acompañamiento, en ese hermoso paisaje.
    Feliz domingo

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wonderful photos capturing history.

    God bless.

    ReplyDelete
  5. When you get right down to it a good deal of pagan iconography and practice was incorporated into Christian ritual.

    ReplyDelete
  6. As you would probably guess, I really enjoyed this glimpse of the past.

    ReplyDelete
  7. If only the stones could talk...goodness!
    hugs
    Donna

    ReplyDelete
  8. That stone house looks really interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Bill.

    I like these stones.

    Greetings from Patricia.

    ReplyDelete
  10. ...stone will last forever!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks for the rich history with these amazing photos. Such a wonderful Sunday post!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Out of the proverbial mists of time.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Love the cross, the stone house and landscape and the pretty sky capture! Take care, have a happy day and a great new week!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Love the cross, which may have had a practical use with sun shining through that hole...perhaps even marking solstice and equinox times.

    ReplyDelete
  15. How interesting. I have been to Inis Mor but didn't see that cross. Shoot. It reminds of the story The Orkney Stone, in which couples would join hands through the hole on All Hallows Eve, to plight their troth.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I love the way they made that Stone House, that's not going anywhere anytime soon. Very cool pictures.

    ReplyDelete
  17. The history in your part of the world goes so much deeper than in the states.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Thank you for sharing this interesting post Bill

    ReplyDelete
  19. Interesting history in the stone cross and building. Great photos.

    ReplyDelete
  20. A nice bit of Irish lore today, Bill.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Lovely to learn the stories and local legends, Bill.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Just amazing that they are still standing and in as good a condition as they are.

    ReplyDelete
  23. That is a lovely and historic Irish cross. I did not know about the hole, but I accept your explanation.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I love places like this. Thanks for sharing a little bit of history with us :)

    ReplyDelete
  25. Very cool, and loved the information about the cross.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Me gusta la cruz. Te mando un beso.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Me gusta la cruz. Te mando un beso. https://enamoradadelasletras.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  28. Funny how these things are so old that accurate information on them is not available.

    ReplyDelete
  29. I've always wondered what the holds were for, Ive only seen a few of those here.

    ReplyDelete
  30. This is so very interesting and beautiful. It makes me want to hop a plane and head to Ireland!

    ReplyDelete