The Cross of Cong


The Cross of Cong (commissioned by Tairdelbach Ua Conchobair king of Connacht and high king of Ireland), 1123, oak core within cast bronze, rock crystal, gold filigree, gilding, silver sheeting, niello and silver inlay, glass, and enamel, 76 x 48 x 3.5 cm (National Museum of Ireland); speakers: Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank and Dr. Steven Zucker


Additional resources

This object on the National Museum of Ireland website.

Griffin Murray, The Cross of Cong: A Masterpiece of Medieval Irish Art (Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 2014).


Smarthistory images for teaching and learning:

[flickr_tags user_id=”82032880@N00″ tags=”truecross,”]

More Smarthistory images…

Cite this page as: Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank and Dr. Steven Zucker, "The Cross of Cong," in Smarthistory, January 23, 2023, accessed December 2, 2023, https://smarthistory.org/cross-of-cong/.