Curraha / Currach Átha / Curragha

Described in Roe (1968: [37]-45 and pl. VI, VII, XIV-XVIII): "In the early days of the 19th century this font is said to have been taken out of the ruined manor and parish church of Crickstown and brought to the then newly-erected Catholic Church at Kilbrew, being transfererred thence to its present site about 1904 when the new church at St. Andrew at Curraha was dedicated. The octagonal mounted font has figural ornamentation on the basin sides; these are identified in Roe (ibid.) as the 12 Apostles in pairs spread over six of the sides; the other two sides of the basin contain, one each, the Crucifixion and the Annunciation. On the shallow chamfer are grotesque heads -like corbels- and foliage motif. Saints and ecclesiastical figures, one in each side of the shaft; Roe (ibid.) identifies St. Catherine of Alexandria below the Crucifixion panel and, next to her, St. Margaret of Antioch, followed by an abbess, an archbishop and a tonsured cleric holding a crozier, perhaps an abbot, and suggests a tentavive identification of the trio as: St. Brigid, St. Patrick and St. Colmcille; the next figure Roe identifies as John the Baptist, followed by St. Michael and the dragon). Pike (1989: 38) suggests that the four grotesque heads on the lower base could be the symbols of the Evangelists. Roe identifies this font as having been on display at the 1853 Great Exhibition in Dublin and regrets the confined space in which it is now housed, as well as the peeling coat of "wash" which covers it and makes scene identification difficult. Roe provides a fully detailed scene-by-scene description and, although she rates some of the carver's work as excellent (e.g., the Annunciation panel and the demonic creatures which lurk from the underbowl), she concludes that the composition as a whole "cannot be deemed fully successful"; she does however compliment the "extraordinary strength and vigour" of the grotesques which ornament the corners of the lower base which "must be ranked amongst the finest accomplishments of Irish Gothic art". The entry in the Ardcath/Clonalvy and Curraha Parishes web page [https://currahaparish.ie/curraha-parish/] [accessed 25 January 2021] notes: "The Crickstown Medieval Baptismal Font. Nothing is recorded of the early history of the Crickstown Font. In the early 19th Century it was taken from the ruined Manor of the Parish Church of Crickstown and brought to the then newly erected Church at Kilbrew. It was transferred to its present site about 1904 when the new Parish Church of St. Andrew was dedicated. In the early 15th Century the lands of Kilbrew and Crickstown passed by marriage into the possession of the Barnwalls, so it is likely that this family provided the font. It was on display at the Great Exhibition in Dublin in 1853 and is thought to date back to the 15th Century. There are three parts, bowl, pedestal and base, all octagonal. Two panels on the sides of the bow show the Crucifixion and opposite the Annunciation, and the remaining six are divided vertically to show the twelve apostles. The sides of the pedestal show eight figures, some tentatively identified as Ss. Catherine of Alexandria, Margaret of Antioch, Brigid, Patrick and Colmcille, John the Baptist, Michael the Archangel and some unidentified bishop. The base was ornamented with grotesque figures representing evil." BSI on-site visit notes: as indicated in the above sources the font is entirely covered in a thick white wash; it has been further altered by fixing a wooden frame to the upper rim of the basin as a base for the wooden cover now in place; another modern change to the font has been the installation of a metal insert inside the basin, one that devides the interior into two parallel wells. The font is located in the chancel, north side. The following are BSI notes with details on basin and base: Basin sides: SE side: Crucifixion; Mary on the left; John with hand to his face; symbols of the Four Evangelists; E side: 2 standing figures; NE side: same as E; N side: 2 figures; Annunciation with Gabriel and Mary; NW, W, SW and S sides: 2 standing figures on each side. Basin underbowl sides: SE side: human head, demonic?; E side: lion; NE side: female figure; N side: damaged, a blob. Base sides: SE side: John the Baptist; E side: St Michael and the dragon; NE side: Bishop with mitre and staff, blessing; N side: crowned(?) female(?) figure; NW side: female figure crowned with book standing on a serpent and spearing it with a tall cross, probably St Margaret of Antioch; W side: abbess with staff, holding something in her laft hand; SW side: male figurewith odd hat and tall cross; S side: tonsured monk with abbot staff, holding something in his right hand.