St Tola’s high cross – an early medieval masterpiece at Dysert O’Dea

The impressive 12th-century high cross at Dysert O’Dea, featuring carvings of scriptural scenes and renowned for its healing powers, has weathered multiple falls but still stands today as a revered symbol in north Clare.

St Tola’s high cross stands in a field overlooking the early medieval church site of Dysert O’Dea, near Corofin in Co. Clare. The saint is reputed to have founded the site in or around the 8th century.

While St Tola’s death is recorded in the Annals of the Four Masters under the year 733 AD, the 3.2-meter-tall stone cross was probably carved in the 12th century and reflects the Romanesque tradition.

“St Tola, son of Dunchadh, bishop, a worthy soldier of Christ, died.” (Annals of the Four Masters, 733)

The east face of the head of the cross features a high relief carving of Christ crucified or possibly Christ risen. His arms are outstretched, and he is dressed in a wide-sleeved robe, flared and pleated below the waist.

Christ’s head was carved on a separate, removable stone, but it was cemented in place during the late 1800s. This stone is traditionally believed to possess curative properties, and it was customary for those afflicted with toothaches to press Christ’s face against their own.

The east face of the tapering shaft of the cross displays a large-scale carving of a bishop in high relief wearing a long robe and a conical mitre – a type of hat worn by bishops, reflecting a Continental tradition adopted in Ireland mainly during the 11th and 12th centuries. The bishop holds a staff or crozier with a spiral crook in his left hand.

This figure is believed to represent the founding saint, Tola.

A square-shaped socket marks the location of the figure’s missing right arm. There has been speculation that this arm could have been a removable reliquary, possibly crafted from precious metals, similar to the 12th-century arm shrine of St Lachtín.

The majority of the remaining decoration on the cross consists of stylized animal interlacings, foliage interlacings and intricate geometric patterns, though there are some more figure carvings on the base of the cross.

This cross at Dysert O’Dea is fairly unusual in northwest Clare for its depiction of various Biblical scenes. The west face of the base of the cross features a damaged carving of the temptation of Adam and Eve, set between the fanned-out branches of an apple tree.

On the south face of the base, a carving of a man between two interlaced beasts is found, possibly representing Daniel in the lions’ den.

On the north face of the base, four figures dressed in tunics are depicted. Two hold a tall tau (T-shaped) staff between them and another has a shorter, crooked staff. The tau staff symbolizes jurisdiction, and the scene could represent the marking out of the sacred boundary or termon of Dysert O’Dea church site. This scene evokes parallels with Moses and Aaron holding the pole with the serpent.

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The cross-base sits on another base that was not originally intended to support the cross but was created as a stone altar, probably in the later 12th century.

The cross has fallen at least twice, once in the 17th century when, according to local tradition, it was knocked by Cromwellian forces. An inscription on the east face of the original base records the repair and re-erection of the cross in 1683 by Michael O’Dea. Another inscription on the south face states that it was re-erected again in 1871 by Francis Hutcheson Synge.

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