My Visit to the Graiguenamanagh High Cross: Hidden Beauty in the Barrow Valley

Hello friends, Aidan here from Gifts of Ireland 🇮🇪.

This week on my Story of Ireland, I made my way to the charming town of Graiguenamanagh in County Kilkenny to visit a high cross that’s a bit off the usual tourist trail. The day couldn’t have been more perfect—blue skies overhead, birds singing in the trees, and that fresh countryside air that makes you want to slow down and breathe it all in.

The cross itself stands just a short walk from the centre of the town, tucked quietly within a well-kept green area near the old Duiske Abbey. It’s not a towering structure like those at Monasterboice or Clonmacnoise, but it has a quiet dignity about it. Thought to date back to the 8th or 9th century, this early Christian high cross is carved from granite and features a ringed head with traces of worn but visible carvings. Its exact origin isn’t entirely clear, but some believe it may have once stood in the grounds of the nearby abbey, moved here to preserve it.

As we approached, I was struck by just how beautiful and peaceful the setting is. It’s a protected little spot, enclosed by trees and hedges, giving it a sense of stillness. And yet, there was a slight sadness to it too—the cross felt a little forgotten, standing quietly on its own, not drawing crowds or attention. But maybe that’s its strength. Because of that isolation, it’s not worn down by footfall or flashbulbs. It feels more like a part of the land—something that has simply always been there.

There’s something deeply Irish about that, isn’t there? The idea of something sacred surviving quietly, not through spectacle but through stillness. This cross, like many others across the country, carries with it the memory of monks, of pilgrims, of people whose lives were shaped by faith, landscape, and craft.

I filmed a short video and took some photos while I was there, which I’ll include in the blog. But truthfully, even those don’t fully capture the feeling of standing in front of something so ancient, so steady, and so unbothered by time.

If you ever find yourself in Graiguenamanagh, go and see it. It won’t be on a major tour map, but it’s a beautiful reminder that Ireland’s treasures aren’t always marked by signs or crowds. Sometimes they’re just standing there, waiting.

Slán go fóill,

Aidan 💚🇮🇪☘️