Cantwell Fada facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cantwell Fada |
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| Long Man of Kilfane | |
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| Artist | Unknown |
| Year | c. 1330 |
| Type | limestone |
| Dimensions | 243 cm (95.5 in) |
| Location | Kilfane Church, Ireland |
| 52°33′15″N 7°07′06″W / 52.554197°N 7.118217°W | |
The Cantwell Fada (which means "the long Cantwell" in Irish) is a special stone statue of a knight. It is found in the old ruins of the 14th-century Kilfane Church in Kilfane, near Thomastown in County Kilkenny, Ireland. This amazing statue is also known as the Long Man. It gives us a peek into what knights looked like a very long time ago.
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Discovering the Cantwell Fada
This impressive statue is called an effigy. An effigy is a carved figure, often of a person, used as a monument. The Cantwell Fada is made from a single large piece of limestone. It stands tall, showing a knight in his armor.
What the Knight Wears
The knight on the statue wears special clothing and armor from his time.
- He has a metal skull-cap on his head.
- This cap is covered by a coif, which is like a hood made of fabric or chainmail.
- He also wears a chainmail hauberk. This is a long shirt made of metal rings that protects his body down to his knees.
- Over his chainmail, he has a cloth surcoat. This was a loose outer garment worn over armor.
- A sword belt is visible around his waist.
- You can see large spurs on his feet. Spurs were used to make horses go faster, showing that he fought battles while riding a horse.
The Knight's Pose
The knight's legs are crossed, with his right leg over his left. For a long time, people thought this pose meant the knight had been part of the Crusades. The Crusades were a series of religious wars in the Middle Ages. However, experts now believe that crossed legs were just a popular style of carving at that time.
In his left hand, the knight holds a large shield. This shield shows the coat of arms of the Cantwell family. A coat of arms is a special design used to identify a family or a person.
Who Was This Knight?
Many people believe this statue represents Thomas de Cantwell. He was a knight who lived a long time ago and died in 1319. Thomas de Cantwell was a Cambro-Norman adventurer. This means he was from a group of people who came to Ireland from Wales and Normandy. He became the Lord of Kilfane.
The stone statue was probably once a flat slab that covered a tomb, called a sarcophagus slab. Later, it was set upright against an inner wall of the church.
A Glimpse into the Past
The Cantwell Fada is a great example of the amazing art created in Ireland during the 1300s. It shows the high quality of sculptures made in the area known as The Pale. This was before a time when Ireland faced many challenges, which led to a decline in art and economy.
A Local Story
There is a fun local story about the Cantwell Fada. A writer named Hubert Butler once shared a tale he heard. He said that children at the nearby Protestant school were sometimes punished by having to kiss the statue!
