Kilkenny No. 2 / Cill Chainnigh

Described and illustrated in Pike (1989) as probably the earliest of the "Ossory font" group; this is the cathedral's own font, it is made of limestone and still in use; it is decorated with Romanesque flutes on the sides of the square basin (ten flutes to each side); it has a fleur-de-lis design on the upper surface of the basin, at the spandrels of the corners. The base is a central cylinder with four non-constructional columns, and raised on a three-step plinth. The bronze font cover is of later date with an inscription in the outline of a fish [NB: Pike (ibid.) mentions that the later bronze cover is "inscribed in the outline of a fish 'ICTHUS' [...]", but the word is probably just Pike's explanation of the symbol, not an actual inscription]. Pike (ibid.) cites Leask (pt. II, p. 103) regarding the dating of the cathedral itself to the "the second half of the thirteenth century probably before 1275", which would put the font in that same period. BSI on-site visit notes: the large font is made of dark limestone and consists of a square basin decorated with a well-defined flutted pattern on the four sides; the spandrels of the upper rim sides are decorated with fleur-de-lis motifs; it is raised on a broad central shaft and four slender colonnettes decorated with mouldings at the base, a square lowert base. and a three step plinth; the whole of the base and plinth is modern; the font cover is also modern. Standing across the south aisle against the south wall is what appears to be the original lower base of this font; it has a similar shape to the modern base now beneath the font and has a centre drain hole. We did not get a chance to measure the original lower base.
A 3-D model of the now loose lower base by b-unicycling may be seen in Sketchfab [https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/st-canices-font-base-9fb9bf62c3c04220ac849a4c02599a30] [accessed 22 July 2025], where it is captioned: "This is apparently the original base for the Ossory type baptismal font at St. Canice’s Cathedral. It is leaning against the wall near the baptismal font."
A set of digital photographs taken in September 2024 by A.-K. D. may be seen in Wikipedia [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:St_Canice's_Cathedral_font] [accessed 27 July 2025]: "Baptismal font of the Ossory type at St. Canice's Cathedral. It is still in use for christenings."