Drumcullin nr. Ballincur / Drumcullen

INFORMATION

Font ID: 09274DRU
Object Type: Baptismal Font1, fragment
Font Century and Period/Style: Medieval
Church / Chapel Name: Abbey of Drumcullin [in ruins]
Font Location in Church: Reported ca. 1918 in the ruins of the Abbey of Drumcullin, on the base of a cross
Church Address: 4749+4X, Knockbarron, Kinnitty, Co. Offaly, Ireland
Site Location: Offaly / Uibh Fhailaí, Leinster, Republic of Ireland, Europe
Directions to Site: Located off the R440 and L3003, in the townland of Ballincur, on the N bank of the river Camcor, near Kinnity
Additional Comments: abandoned font: only two fragments remained in 1918
Font Notes:
Described in the Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland (1918), v. 48: 75fn), as part of a communication by E.C.R. Armstrong -based on a report by Olive Purser- to the Society: "Two fragments of old wrought stone have been placed on the block [i.e., the base of an early Celtic cross discovered in this site in 1917] at either of the socket forming a sort of rim to the hole. The pieces put together form the top of what is almost certainly an ancient font, about 14 inches square and 7 inches high." The entry for Drumcullen in the CRSBI [https://www.crsbi.ac.uk/view-item?i=15387] [accessed 1 August 2025] notes: "An early Christian site [...] The monastery here was reputedly founded by St Barrind sometime before 591 [...] with the remains of a single-cell medieval parish church [...] The surviving parts of the church appear wholly later medieval in date, but incorporate material from an earlier 12thc structure"; it mentions neither font nor stoup in it.

COORDINATES

UTM: 29U 585015 5884745
Latitude & Longitude (Decimal): 53.105368, -7.730084
Latitude & Longitude (DMS): 53° 6′ 19.33″ N, 7° 43′ 48.3″ W

MEDIUM AND MEASUREMENTS

Material: stone
Number of Pieces: two fragments
Font Shape: square
Basin Exterior Shape: square
Notes on Measurements: Armstrong (1918: 75fn)

REFERENCES

  • Armstrong, E.C.R., "Fragment of a Celtic Cross at Drumcullin, King's County", vol. 48 (1918), Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, 1918, pp. 73-75; p. 75fn