The high crosses of ‘Northern Ireland’: an iconographic review of a modern geo-political grouping of early medieval monuments

This thesis analyses the historiographical treatment of the ‘Northern/Ulster Group’ of free-standing, sculpted, early medieval high crosses and reassesses the validity of this classification by examining, individually, their historical, iconographic, and symbolic contexts. It focuses on the five best-preserved sculptures from Armagh (Armagh), Arboe (Tyrone), Donaghmore (Tyrone), Donaghmore (Down), and Drumcliff (Sligo), with other, relevant, carved remains from the region also discussed. The nature of the border in Ireland and its impact on the historiographical treatment, public attitudes, and conservation efforts towards these monuments are examined to produce, for the first time, a framework for (re)considering the bordering of material heritage artefacts. Building on this, discussion of the historical contexts of the crosses’ production and changing attitudes towards them through time, provides conclusions on: their dates of origin; and the intentions of those that commissioned, made and used them; the nature of those communities; as well as tracing their locations and functions to the present day. Each high cross is then examined individually with each scene/panel fully discussed, identified, and situated within both its iconographic tradition, and the iconographic programme of the monument. This is followed by an exploration of the theological, exegetical and liturgical contexts of the carvings, with conclusions drawn regarding how these findings affect our understanding of the dates of the sculptures and the nature and cultural connections of the ecclesiastical communities that made and used them, and facilitating a critical reassessment of the term ‘Northern/Ulster Group’.