St. Joseph’s Church Carrickmacross
Deus Vobiscum...May God Be With You
The Floor
The previous article concludes with a beautiful drawing of the chancel of the church by C.J. McCarthy, son of the original architect, J.J. McCarthy. It shows a fine tiled floor both inside the sanctuary and in the main area of the church. Along the outside of the communion rail and down the centre of the nave are decorative tiles with alternate square and round designs. Also included are three figures, a priest and two others who may be worshippers or workmen (We are indebted to the Irish Architectural Archive, Dublin, for the photograph of the drawing).
It is interesting to note that a report on the condition of the church in 1967 referring to the floor has the following comment: “Apart from the rubber covered central passageway of the nave, the flooring consists either of large fine jointed stone slabs or of a cement screed (presumably an infilling of later date, to make up the level of cracked or broken slabs). This concrete is particularly unsightly and should be removed or covered with a finish more in keeping with the general dignity and quality of the interior”.
Very recently, through the generosity of some local businessmen and others, the whole floor area has been covered with excellent, hardwearing carpet.
It is presumed that, as the erection of the pulpit is not mentioned in the above report and is not shown in the sketch, it must have been installed at a later date. It is of the same material as the reredos.