One of Ireland’s earliest decorated High Crosses

St Mura’s Cross is located in the ancient monastic site at Fahan, County Donegal. This is a rare ‘slab’ type cross that is generally believed to be the precursor to the typical Celtic High Crosses that people associate with Ireland. The cross is carved on both sides with a broad interlaced ribbon design and has two figures and two birds and what appears to be an unusual Greek cross. The symbol of the bird is a common feature in early Christian art and its symbolism is usually associated with the resurrection. The Greek inscription of ‘The Gloria’ is a version that was sanctioned at the Council of Toledo in Spain in 633. The fact that the prayer is written in Greek is taken as evidence that a monk in residence was familiar with the Greek language and so this monastery had close links to the wider world of Christianity around the Mediterranean. St Mura lived in the 6^th century and was a relative and disciple of St Columba. He founded a monastery here for the ruling O’Neill dynasty which ruled from the nearby Grianan of Aileach.