Jerry Kelly mentioned the Chi-Rho symbol, the first two letters of the Greek word for Christ. This symbol appears on at least three cross-slabs in Co. Kerry. Cross-slabs are generally considered to date from the 6th to the 8th century A.D., but the earliest of them may be from the later part of the 5th century. The finest Chi-Rho example that I know of is in the small cemetery in Kilshannig, north of Castlegregory on Tralee Bay. The stone is nearly 5 feet tall. Another example is on a small, very irregular, slab in Coumduff - located about a mile south of Lake Anascaul. Both of these sites are on the Dingle peninsula. I have photographed over a hundred cross-slabs/boulders on the peninsula, but these are the only two I know of that use the added "decoration" to create the Chi-Rho incised cross. On Church Island, in Lough Currane near Waterville, there is large cross-slab which appears to me to have the "Rho" addition to the cross.....but it does not seem to be considered as Chi-Rho in the literature. This is not the very ornate cross-slab on the island which actually uses the two Greek letters in the carving.....that one appears to be from a much later period - perhaps 11th century. Pete .................................................... Pete Schermerhorn, in the glorious Berkshire hills of western Massachusetts </HTML>