I was in Killarney, Co. Kerry at the weekend and on our way out to The Blue Pool Gallery in Muckross I spotted a large Celtic cross in a field off the main road. Now I've traveled this road on numerous occasions and never before have I spotted this. As a child my parents would bring us down to Muckross house and gardens so I thought I was very familiar with this road! I don't know what made me look up on the hill last Sunday morning but I couldn't believe considering the size of the cross I had never seen it before. We stopped the car and took a few photos of the mystery cross.
The photos aren't very clear as they were taken with my phone on a rainy morning but you get the idea, it's big and pretty hard to miss! Of course having made the discovery I had to know more, so we drove up every side road we could find in a effort to get closer to the cross, unfortunately we were unsuccessful so the rest of my investigative work had to be done online. So here's what I discovered. The cross marks the spot of Killegy graveyard and is called the Herbert Memorial Cross. Named after the Herbert family that owned Muckross house and gardens. Incidentally the land owned by the Herbert family bepaula-e2d4.myshopify.com/admin/articles/587535679704came Killarney National Park, the first National Park in Ireland. Both Henry Arthur Herbert and his wife Mary Balfour Herbert are buried in Killegy graveyard. Had I been able to find my way to the cross here's what I would have discovered.
Killegy Graveyard Kerry Ireland
And here's a better image of the cross so you see the amazing stone carving. I haven't been able to find out when the cross was erected or where it was carved so if you have any other information be sure to contact me at eileen@claddaghdesign.com I'd love to know more.
