A 1000-year-old High Cross found 200 years ago

This cross can be found near the old Kilgobbin Church in Stepaside village. It stands over 8 feet tall and can be estimated to be from the 10th century as the cloak covering the figure of Jesus is ankle length. It was found buried in 1800 when a wall for the nearby graveyard was being built. What is more interesting about this national monument is that it was found set into a more ancient bullaun stone on its base. This may predate the cross by hundreds of years before Christianity even arrived in Ireland. According to folklore, such stones had a magical significance as the belief that rainwater collecting in a granite bowl had special healing properties. The name ‘Kilgobbin’ is believed to have been named after the 6th-century saint Gobban who was reputedly the master architect of churches in Ireland at the time.