Newcastle South / Kilmactalway / Cill Mactalewi / Kilmactalewi
INFORMATION
Font ID: 09246KIL
Object Type: Stoup?
Font Century and Period/Style: Medieval
Church / Chapel Name: Catholic Church of St. Finian [R.C.] Newcastle South
Church Patron Saint(s): St. Finnian [aka Finian]
Previous Font Location(s): Possible medieval baptismal font of Kilmactalway (Cill Mhic Thalmhaigh) parish church of St. Magnenn
Church Notes: Newcastle South RC church of 1813 -- the C. of I. church here is also dedicated to St Finian -- The church of Kilmactalway was dedicated to St. Magnenn and in 1366 it was annexed to St. Patrick's cathedral (Ball, 1906)
Church Address: Lyons Rd, Newcastle South, Newcastle, Co. Dublin, Ireland
Site Location: Dublin, Leinster, Republic of Ireland, Europe
Directions to Site: Newcastle is located off the R120-R405-L6001 confluence, about 15 km WSW of Dublin city centre
Ecclesiastic Region: Diocese of Dublin
Historical Region: Barony of Newcastle
Additional Comments: disused / is it a stoup?
Font Notes:
Click to view
Listed in the South Dublin County Council Development Plan of 1998 (Schedule 1, Preservation and Conservation of Buildings, Structures and Sites - Lists 1 & 2, p. 128: List 1, ref. no. 32).
A 3-D model made by Archaeological Survey of Ireland of a possible medieval stoup or font of Kilmactalway may be seen in Sketchfab [https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/kilmactalway-church-font-du021-003004-c410c368eba54cd4affb6b45db476790] [accessed 26 July 2025]; its caption reads: "Possible medieval baptismal font of Kilmactalway (Cill Mhic Thalmhaigh) parish church (DU021-003001-) in the barony of Newcastle, Co. Dublin, dedicated to St. Magnenn. The possible font was removed from Kilmactalway church & graveyard (DU021-003002-) by Ellen Maria Bagot in the late 19th-century and taken to St. Finian’s Roman Catholic Church in the village of Newcastle, Co. Dublin, where it stands today (DU021-118----) inside the east end of the church. This small granite font lacks a drainage hole which may indicate that the stone was used as a church stoup or basin to hold water as one enters the church, or as a base for a cross [...] For more information, visit: https://maps.archaeology.ie/HistoricEnvironment/?SMRS=DU021-003004-"
A 3-D model made by Archaeological Survey of Ireland of a possible medieval stoup or font of Kilmactalway may be seen in Sketchfab [https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/kilmactalway-church-font-du021-003004-c410c368eba54cd4affb6b45db476790] [accessed 26 July 2025]; its caption reads: "Possible medieval baptismal font of Kilmactalway (Cill Mhic Thalmhaigh) parish church (DU021-003001-) in the barony of Newcastle, Co. Dublin, dedicated to St. Magnenn. The possible font was removed from Kilmactalway church & graveyard (DU021-003002-) by Ellen Maria Bagot in the late 19th-century and taken to St. Finian’s Roman Catholic Church in the village of Newcastle, Co. Dublin, where it stands today (DU021-118----) inside the east end of the church. This small granite font lacks a drainage hole which may indicate that the stone was used as a church stoup or basin to hold water as one enters the church, or as a base for a cross [...] For more information, visit: https://maps.archaeology.ie/HistoricEnvironment/?SMRS=DU021-003004-"
COORDINATES
UTM: 29U 666208 5908579
MEDIUM AND MEASUREMENTS
Material: stone
Font Shape: round
Basin Interior Shape: rectangular
Basin Exterior Shape: round
Drainage System: no drainage system
Drainage Notes: no lining