When it came to patterns, the first thing that popped into my head was old Celtic carvings. They have been part or Irish culture for as far back as can be documented, and it seems, they gain new life with every new religion, cultural movement, or political.

One thing that popped in my head was a High Cross from Moone, which is over 1000 years old. I never realized all the characters carved in the cross till I started researching for this illustration. From my photos it looked like a scene from Mars Attacks! It turns out though that they are not little green aliens killing the earth but Jesus and his 12 apostles. There are depictions of the bread and fish, 12 headed beast, the flight from Egypt, and other fun things.

I was so inspired by this that on the way home tonight I decided to stop by the cross abs take a picture with the Moone on it. But, when I got there, I felt like I was in someone’s back yard, what with their recycling out, and the doors were shut tight, so no such luck.

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