What is recorded here

St. Columba's church in Tullowphelim replaced a medieval predecessor, leaving behind a circular granite font that still sits neglected in the graveyard beside the entrance path. The bowl carries six shallow grooves descending its outer face, perhaps an abandoned attempt to divide the stone into six parts. That unfinished gesture suggests a craftsman wrestling with the hardness of granite, shaping water and memory before abandoning the work.

Present St. Columba's C of I parish church is presumed to have replaced earlier medieval parish church (CW008-045006-). A roughly circular granite font with circular basin and central drainage hole (diam. 0.16m) can be seen in the graveyard (CW008-045014-) immediately to the S of the W end of the C of I church. Described in the Urban Survey of County Carlow (Bradley 1989, 69-70) as a 'circular granite font (dims. H 0.56m; ext. diam. 0.85m) with straight sided basin (top diam. 0.55m; base diam. 0.45m; D 0.25m) and a central drainage hole. On the south side of the church beside the entrance path. It is undecorated except for six cracks/grooves which run around the rim (T 0.14-0.26m) down the external face of the font and may be an attempt to make the bowl sexpartite. The rim slopes to the outside'. Described in 1892-4 as following: 'The old font lies in the churchyard, neglected and uncared for; it is of granite and much worn, circular in form, about 14 inches (0.35m) deep inside, and 20 inches (0.5m) over ground; what depth it is below the surface of the ground I am unable to say' (Anon. 1892-4, 446). Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 25 September 2014

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