What is recorded here

Three holy water stoups in St Malachy's, County Louth, wear a human face and smooth post-medieval dressing, not medieval age. They may date to the eighteenth century, when local hands shaped water for prayer rather than preserving ancient ritual. The face watches the church still, turning a simple font into a quiet companion for whoever pauses before entering.

The following description is derived from both the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Louth' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1986) and the 'Archaeological Survey of County Louth' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1991). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload: 25 May 2012 Three holy water stoups (see also LH013-012001- and LH013-012002-), in or beside St Malachy's Roman Catholic church, are referred to by Davies (CLAJ 1943, 208) as medieval fonts and were included as such in the Archaeological Inventory of County Louth. The type of dressing on the stone of all three stoups and the human face on the one inside the church would suggest a post-medieval date, possibly the eighteenth century.

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