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 Duleek
was an important ecclesiastical centre in the early Christian
centuries and its Cross is unusual and very interesting. It was
founded by St.Ciaran (or Kennean) who was himself baptised by
St.Patrick in 472A.D. Here he built the first stone church recorded
in Ireland. The name of the town comes from the Irish "daimh
liag", a house of stones. The centre grew and flourished
for more than 700 years and aerial photographs of the town show
how the ecclesiastical boundaries still impose themselves on the
street plan today.
Duleek
became as important as Armagh, or Clonard or Clonmacnoise and
included hospitals, almhouses and sanctuaries. It was a resting
place for the bodies of Brian Boru and his son - in law where
they lay in state on their way to burial in Armagh in 1014 after
the battle of Clontarf: later an Augustinian priory was set up
there by the O'Kelly family. When the Norman, Hugh de Lacy built
himself a castle nearby he granted the Church of St. Ciaran to
the Augustinians of Gloucestershire in 1180. The Normans had themselves
pillaged the Priory a few years earlier.
The
unusual feature of the High Cross is that one face, the East face,
is completely covered in Celtic curvilinear and geometric designs.
At the bottom on the West face there is a scene with three figures
which may be the holy family or it may be the presentation of
our Lord in the Temple. Above are two panels each with two figures
facing, one with hands clasped, one with hands raised, at the
centre is a Crucifixion scene and at the top of the cross a scene
from the story of the monastery. It seems that St.Adamnon visited
the tomb of St.Ciaran's body lay uncorrupted. He broke the rule
and touched the body and his eye was struck out. Later as he fasted
as a penance his eye was miraculously restored.
The
top panel shows the restoration. On the East face there appears
to be a symbolic vine, while the centre shows a design with seven
bosses. Scholars now realise that the early Irish artists, whatever
their medium constructed everything with "meaning and
exactitude" (Hilary Richardson, 1984).
They
took over, it would seem, the designs of the Celts and developed
a new symbolic language using design and the symbolism of numbers
to convey the Christian message.
Celtic
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