3D – Kildare Online

The Furness Project

This project involved the capture of digital images for the generation of 3D photogrammetry models documenting a medieval parish church, a carved stone held within the church, a Bronze Age Standing Stone that is within a banked enclosure, and a boulder containing Neolithic Rock Art, all within the Furness Estate at Forenaghts Great, Naas, Co. Kildare.

See all 3D Heritage Models from Furness: The Furness Project

Tips for viewing and manipulating 3D models hosted on Sketchfab

All models on this page are hosted on a 3D platform called Sketchfab.

Tips for controlling 3D models on Sketchfab using your mouse and keyboards: left click and hold to rotate; right click and hold to grab and reposition; rotate the mouse wheel to zoom in and out (alternatively you can left click and hold + Ctrl while moving the mouse forward or backwards to zoom). In addition, you can hold the Alt key and left click and hold while moving the mouse to change the direction of the light source. Hit the spacebar to zoom out to a general view of the whole scene. These controls apply to all Sketchfab hosted models.

The Portlester Effigy

Located in the cemetery of New Abbey, Kilcullen, Co. Kildare, is the top of a late medieval box tomb with the effigy of Roland FitzEustace and his wife. Roland established the Franciscan Friary on the banks of the Liffey in 1486. This effigy, a number of side panels of a box tomb, and some medieval window tracery are all that remain of the Friary today.

Although carved in high relief, many of the finer details, such as facial features, are completely eroded due to centuries of exposure to the elements.

This model has been uploaded without a “texture” (i.e. photographic image data projected onto a 3D model) in order to remove colour information and other details, such as lichen, that can distract the eye and obscure the true form of the surface topography.

See more information and imagery in : The Portlester Effigy

Old Kilcullen High Cross Shaft

For an in-depth look at the Old Kilcullen high cross shaft see the article A New View of Old Kilcullen
For a brief historical overview of Old Kilcullen in the Early Medieval period, see Origins and significance of Old Kilcullen

Ballymore High Crosses

Two High Crosses stand in the grounds of St John’s Church of Ireland, Ballymore Eustace, Co. Kildare. To the north of the church is an almost complete granite cross with minimal decoration. To the south is the base and shaft of another cross broken at the head. The photogrammerty model of the south cross revealed previously unrecorded decoration on two faces of the base, while this model of the north cross also helped to uncover more details about its likely original state.

See both 3D Heritage Models from Ballymore with extra imagery and interpretation: Ballymore High Crosses

The Portlester Cross Shaft

The Portlester Cross shaft from Coghlanstown, outside Ballymore Eustace, Co. Kildare

The inscription, “Euftace Lord Portlester 1462”, refers to Roland FitzEustace’s baronial title and conferring year (see Portlester Effigy above), but is carved in an 18th century style and, therefore, not contemporary with the shaft’s creation. Roland died in 1496 and the shaft itself is anachronistic relative to his floruit. The lettering style of the original (now illegible) inscription on the projecting collar, the fluting on the shaft, and the overall form, all indicate a late 16th or early 17th century creation date for the original cross.

The shaft has four shields, three of which contain possible heraldic carvings. The crowned south shield is more prominent and angular compared to the others and appears to be original to the creation of the shaft. This shield probably represents the FitzEustace family coat of arms. This family was prominent in medieval Leinster as evidenced by the name of the nearby village, Ballymore Eustace.

For more imagery and details see: The Portlester Cross Shaft

The Bell Tower Portal of St Patrick’s Chapel

Architect William Hague’s North Portal of the Bell Tower of St Patrick’s Chapel, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland.

St Patrick’s College Chapel, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, was designed by J.J. McCarthy and completed after his death under the architect William Hague. The chapel was consecrated in 1891 and is one of the most unique and richly decorated churches in Ireland. The Gothic Revival bell tower and steeple were designed by William Hague in 1895 and built after his death between 1902 and 1905. It was the last great ‘gothic’ bell tower and steeple to be built in the county. This portal is in the base of the bell tower. The buildings of St Patrick’s College, including the main range by A.N.W. Pugin, now form part of the National University of Ireland’s Maynooth campus. It is regrettable that the magnificent chapel, despite being on a campus with a 24/7 security team, is closed to the public outside of masses.

This simple low resolution model was created as a test of photogrammetry software and sketchfab upload. It was created with just 26 images and is, therefore, not very detailed.

A photo essay on the interior of St Patrick’s College Chapel will be uploaded soon in the photography section.