The high cross was the central feature of a monastery during the early medieval period in Ireland.
The earliest high crosses date from about the ninth century, some can be seen at Ahenny County Tipperary. These ornately carved sandstone crosses are in essence replicas of earlier wooden crosses.
Granite crosses in the river Barrow valley at Castledermot and Moone have coarser carvings but are no less significant.
Often called scripture crosses, they are decorated with scenes from the Bible such as Adam and Eve under the apple tree, Daniel in the lions' den, and the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan. The Radharc programme logo was taken from a panel depicting the twelve apostles on the Moone High Cross.
High Crosses at the monastic sites of Clonmacnoise, Durrow and Monasterboice share common themes which suggest that they came from the same school of stone carvers.
The monastery at Kells where the monks of Iona sought sanctuary during Viking raids in the ninth century also has scripture crosses. It is believed that these monuments were originally painted and used as teaching tools for religious instruction,
In an age when books were scarce and very few people apart from clerics could either read or write.
'Radharc: The Celtic Monastery' broadcast on 22 February 1982. The narrator is Cyril Cusack.
'Radharc', a series specialising in religious programming, was produced for RTÉ by Radharc, an independent production company run by Catholic priests and lay staff.
'Radharc' can be translated to English as 'view'. Founding director Father Joseph Dunn put together a team of priests, some of whom had received training in television production in London and New York in the late 1950s.
The 'Radharc' team made their first production in 1960 in Donegal, a short film about customs relating to Saint Brigid's Day. The first programme in the 'Radharc' series for RTE was broadcast on 12 January 1962.
Between 1961 and 1996 the Radharc team would produce over 400 hundred films from Ireland and around the world. The films often dealt with issues relating to peace and justice both at home and abroad.
The popular religious affairs series ended production in 1996 after the death of Fr Joseph Dunn.
