Ardboe High Cross

Finest early Christian high cross in Ulster, carved with Old and New Testament scenes

Ardboe High Cross stands on the western shore of Lough Neagh, about 10 kilometres east of Cookstown, and is one of the finest early Christian high crosses in Ireland. The cross rises over five metres and is carved with biblical scenes across all four faces — Old Testament narratives on one side, New Testament scenes on the other. The quality of the carving is remarkable given its age; though weathered, the figures and compositions are still largely legible.

The site is free to visit and sits in a small churchyard overlooking Lough Neagh, the largest lake in the British Isles. The combination of the cross, the loughside setting, and the ruins of the later medieval church behind it makes this one of the more evocative early Christian sites in Northern Ireland. A short walk along the loughshore beyond the churchyard gives good views north and south across the water.

things to do sight
A story
Ardboe was an important monastic settlement from the 6th century, founded by St Colman of Ardboe. The high cross was carved around the 10th century, when the monastery was a significant religious centre. The carvings include scenes from the Old Testament — Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Daniel in the Lions' Den — arranged in sequence around the shaft, which archaeologists believe may have been used for teaching Christian scripture to lay communities who could not read.