New Celtic High Cross to be dedicated at ancient Offaly monastic site

Bishop Pat Storey to unveil wooden cross at St Carthage's church in Rahan

A NEW Celtic High Cross will be dedicated at the ancient church and graveyard of St. Carthage in Rahan on Sunday, October 26.

Bishop of Meath and Kildare, Most Rev. Pat Storey will perform the unveiling of the cross which will be crafted from a 100-year-old hawthorn tree that fell during Storm Darragh in late 2024 which caused a collective sense of loss across the community.

Anna Orman, COI Tullamore Union of Parishes Heritage Interpreter for St. Carthage Church, was asked to come up with an idea to commemorate the tree that had been apart of the community's mind and landscape for a significant period.

Unlike a traditional stone High Cross that depicts scenes from the Old and New Testament, this unique wooden cross will project an organic dimension that signifies the fragility of the community's natural heritage in the 21st century.