After visiting Newbridge Silverware Visitor Centre & Museum of Style Icons M.O.S.I, I went to see Moone High Cross – one of the highest cross in Ireland.
Moone High Cross, located in a small village called Moone in the south of County Kildare, is a National Monument reputedly dating from the eighth century.
It is the second-tallest High Cross in Ireland.
It is 17.5 feet high (including the base) in meters 5.334, and also, one of the best preserved of its kind. At about 7 metres high the West Cross, or Tall Cross at Monasterboice is the tallest in Ireland.
Moone High Cross is located within the ruins of the early monastic site of Moone Abbey. St. Palladius founded it in the 5th century and dedicated it to St. Colmcille in the 6th century. The abbey lies on the banks of the River Greese in the village of Moone, County Kildare. Fragments of other high crosses are also present within the grounds of the abbey.
The high cross lay undiscovered until 1835.
Two sections of the cross were unearthed while works were being carried out in the graveyard of the ruined abbey. The then-Duke of Leinster, Charles FitzGerald, arranged for the re-erection of the cross as the sections were so well-preserved. Sixty years later, in 1893, they found the middle section and added it to the cross, revealing its true height.
The ‘Kildare Monastic Trail’ features the high cross, a self-guided tour designed to facilitate the discovery of County Kildare’s round towers, high crosses, and monasteries. A roof exists over the cross protecting it from erosion.
The craftsmen constructed the High Cross out of granite in three sections: an upper, middle, and base. They heavily decorated the cross and depicted scenes from both the Old Testament and New Testament of the Bible. The carving is famous for its flat geometrical style, in which they rendered human bodies in simple squares or rectangles.
Now restored and protected by a glass awning over, it’s truly a wonderful sculpture. There are information boards around the perimeter that give comprehensive information on the cross and the carved reliefs. Fabulously restoration work and protection on the site. You really can feel the history of this cross by touching it.
The High Cross at Moone is an impressive and amazing piece of craftsmanship.
It’s worth a visit if you are in the area. It can be a bit difficult to find. The GPS coordinates of N52.97879, and W6.82468 should get you there. The opening into this space is just a crack in a wall, and there’s room for only 2 to 3 cars to park. Then you must climb through a gap in the wall to enter and walk along a short graveled path.
Location:
Below are photos I took in September 2022.
