Image: St. Maelruan's Font, Tallaght, Co. Dublin

Description: This enormous stone bowl or font stands/stood in Tallaght in South County Dublin. The creation of such a font must have been a great undertaking at the time and have taken a long time to complete. What was it used for and is it still in situ? While I have the vaguest of notions that we have come across archaic words for a font previously ("pant"?), I do not think we've encountered the word "losset" before. But, apparently, this is what we have here. Losset is an old-Irish word for a trough, and this example is St. Maelruan's Losset in Tallaght. Apparently used for ceremonial feet bathing (rather than as a baptismal font), it seems quite ancient. Though, was apparently moved in the very late 19th century - perhaps dating this image to after c.1899.... Photographer: Thomas H. Mason Collection: Mason Photographic Collection Date: Catalogue range c.1890-1910. Perhaps after c.1899 (re-sited?) NLI Ref: M14/31 You can also view this image, and many thousands of others, on the NLI’s catalogue at catalogue.nli.ie
Title: St. Maelruan's Font, Tallaght, Co. Dublin
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Author: National Library of Ireland on The Commons
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