The story of Donaghmore High Cross
An early monastery was founded at Donaghmore in the sixth century, traditionally associated with St Patrick. The place name itself, from the Irish Domhnach Mór, means "great church", a clue to how important this site once was. The high cross that survives belongs to a later phase, with its upper shaft and head dated by most sources to the 9th or early 10th century, placing it among the finest early Christian crosses in Ulster.
The cross you see today is a composite. It is made from two fragments brought together, either two separate crosses or two pieces of the same one with part of the shaft lost, and the join is still visible about halfway up. Tradition holds that the cross was thrown down in the 17th century and later found buried near the River Torrent.
In 1776 it was raised again in its present position at a junction in the village. Standing 4.78 metres tall and carved from sandstone, it carries panels of Old Testament scenes on the west face and New Testament scenes on the east, with a Crucifixion at the head. These were teaching images, used by the monks to explain scripture to a largely non-literate community.
Centuries of weather have softened the carvings, but the major scenes can still be read. The original cross remains in the village, while an interpretive cross now stands in the Old Graveyard near the monastery site, and the Donaghmore Heritage Centre keeps the wider history of the place on record.