Leitrim’s greatest sculpture - the King and Queen sculpture at Annaduff

Some time back, the County Leitrim Heritage Officer got a detailed photo (photogrammetry) done of a sculpture that is in the window of the Medieval Church of Annaduff. It is close to St Ann’s Church of Ireland. That was said to be the centre of the ancient Abbey of Annaduff.

This is a really well-done sculpture showing the risen and triumphant Christ in the middle and under him is the devil trying to get out of captivity.

Lower down, there is a queen to the left and a king to the right. Above each is a spear, indicating war. It is very likely that this sculpture was recalling the Táin War across the nearby Shannon, between Maeve of Connacht and Conor Mac Nessa of Ulster.

That story would have been told quite often by the monks of the Abbey and was captured in this sculpture.

Local councillor and historian, Des Guckian, presents the photo of the sculpture to Vincent Tighe, Principal, Annaduff NS.

Two hundred years ago, a great artist, called Daniel Grose, did a sketch of the sculpture. His sketch confirmed that the figure on the right is a king and the one on the left is a queen. His sketch, on the bottom left, shows St Ann’s and the Medieval Church together.

This sculpture is very delicately executed and possibly dates back 1,000 years, to when High Kings Brian Ború and Malachy 2 of Meath came and stayed in Annaduff for some weeks.

It is a real treasure of a sculpture and arguably Leitrim’s greatest sculpture. This sculpture is in great danger, as the walls around it are collapsing. At least, the children in Annaduff N.S. will know what it looked like and the significance of it.