Rinnegan Crucifixion Plaque

The Rinnegan Crucifixion Plaque (also known as the Athlone or St. John Crucifixion Plaque) is a late 7th or early 8th-century Irish gilt-bronze crucifixion plaque found in the 19th-century in the churchyard of St. John's on the head of Lough Ree near Rinnegan, County Roscommon. It is one of the earliest known representations of the crucifixion in Irish art, and outside of illuminated manuscripts, is a rare example of representation in 8th-century Irish art.

The Rinnegan Plaque is the earliest of the eight such early medieval Irish plaques to have survived, and at 21 cm (8.3 in) x 12.5 cm (4.9 in) is the largest example, and widely considered by archaeologists to be the most accomplished. It's dating to the late 7th or early 8th centuries is based on its curvilinear designs, including spirals and interlace. While the precise function of these plaques is unknown, the fact that they contain multiple rivet or nail holes indicates that they were likely intended to be attached to larger ecclesiastical objects such as processional crosses, book shrines or altarpieces.

The plaque was hidden or buried at some point to protect it from plunder by Vikings or later Normans. While the details of its rediscovery in the early 19th-century are unknown, iron and salt deposits in the hollows of its reverse indicate that it was buried. The plaque is in the permanent collection of the National Museum of Ireland (NMI) in Dublin.