The stone at Kilnasaggart can be dated more precisely than almost any early monument in Ireland. Its inscription names Ternoc son of Ceran Bic, whose death the annals record around 714 to 716, which fixes the pillar to the early 700s and makes it one of the oldest dateable Christian monuments in the country. It stands in a hedged field roughly two kilometres south of Jonesborough, near the Moyry Pass, free to visit and clearly signposted from the road – though reaching it is the catch, so read on before you set off.
The inscription and the crosses
The southeast face bears an Old Irish inscription that scholars translate as: ‘This place, bequeathed by Ternoc son of Ceran Bic, under the patronage of Peter the Apostle.’ Above it is a Latin cross, and at the base an equal-armed cross set in a circle. In all, the pillar carries thirteen crosses, most of them ringed, with at least ten worked into the northwest face alone – an early, plain style that predates the elaborate high crosses of later centuries.
The stone marks the line of the Slige Midhlachra, the ancient road that ran from Tara through the Moyry Pass to Dunseverick on the north Antrim coast. Excavations in 1966 and 1968 uncovered an early Christian graveyard around it, the graves set radially and facing the rising sun – evidence that the pillar once stood at the centre of a burial ground, not alone in a field.
Height is one thing the sources argue over. Discover Northern Ireland calls it ‘almost 2 m’; Megalithic Ireland puts it nearer 2.8 m. Standing beside it, the difference matters less than the carvings, which are still sharp enough to trace with your eye after twelve hundred years.
Local folklore adds a lighter note: a magical cow, milked into a sieve, is said to have stamped its hoof on a nearby stone hard enough to leave a print.
Getting to the stone
This is the part to plan for. There are no facilities – no toilets, no café, no information panels – and the stone is not visible from your car. Park in the free roadside lay-by, marked by a red letterbox, then follow a worn grass path through two or three working fields to reach the pillar. The ground is unpaved and turns muddy after rain, so wear proper shoes.
- What it is, and isn’t: this is a granite pillar in a quiet field, not a staffed attraction. It rewards people who care about early Christian Ireland more than passing sightseers.
- Best light: morning sun hits the southeast face directly and throws the inscription and crosses into relief. In flat winter light the carvings are harder to read and photograph.
- Respect the field: it’s private farmland. Close gates, keep any dog on a short lead, and leave the enclosure as you found it.
Getting there
By car: the site sits just off the M1/N1 corridor. Just before Jonesborough, turn toward Kilnasaggart Bridge and follow the minor road south toward Edenappa, watching for the wooden sign at the lay-by with its red letterbox.
By public transport: realistically this is a stop you drive to. Jonesborough, about two kilometres north, is the nearest village, and there is no service to the stone itself.
Nearby stops
- Gap of the North and Moyry Castle – a dramatic mountain pass and a 1601 fortification a short drive south.
- Dromintee – the gateway village to the Ring of Gullion, good for walks and a coffee.
- Armagh City – Northern Ireland’s ecclesiastical centre, with its twin cathedrals and the Armagh Observatory.
- Ardress House – an 18th-century National Trust farmhouse with period gardens, roughly 15 km northwest.
- Ballykeel Dolmen – a Neolithic portal tomb, another angle on the area’s ancient stonework.
Allow twenty to thirty minutes at the stone. The trick is finding the lay-by in the first place: look for the red letterbox, and don’t expect to see the pillar until you’re through the last field.