The Priory of St. Mary in Cahir, known as Cahir Abbey, was a
medieval priory
A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. They were created by the Catholic Church. Priories may be monastic houses of monks or nuns (such as the Benedictines, the Cistercians, or the Ch ...
of
Augustinian Canons regular
The Canons Regular of St. Augustine are Catholic priests who live in community under a rule ( and κανών, ''kanon'', in Greek) and are generally organised into Religious order (Catholic), religious orders, differing from both Secular clergy, ...
and is a
National Monument
A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a sp ...
located in
Cahir
Cahir (; ) is a town in County Tipperary in Ireland. It is also a civil parish in the barony of Iffa and Offa West.
Location and access
For much of the twentieth century, Cahir stood at an intersection of two busy national roadways: the Dubli ...
, Ireland.
Location
Cahir Abbey is located north of
Cahir Castle
Cahir Castle (), one of the largest castles in Ireland, is sited on an island in the river Suir. It was built from 1142 by Conchobar Ua Briain, King of Thomond. Now situated in Cahir town centre, County Tipperary, the castle is well preserved a ...
, on the west bank of the
River Suir
The River Suir ( ; or ''Abhainn na Siúire'' ) is a river in Ireland that flows into the Atlantic Ocean through Waterford after a distance of .
The catchment area of the Suir is 3,610 km2. .
History
The priory was founded in the late 12th century AD. It followed the 1178 burning of the former 7th century abbey 4 miles south at
Ardfinnan
Ardfinnan () is a small village in County Tipperary in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is situated on the River Suir and R665 road, R665 regional road. The Catholic parish of Ardfinnan is made up of three areas: Ardfinnan, Ballybacon, and Gra ...
. Galfrid de Camville,
Anglo-Norman Baron of Cahir and Fedamore, made a grant to its
hospital
A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...
c. 1200.
St Mary’s priory is a multi phased, with evidence of the original 13th century buildings and further alterations and additions in the 15th and 16th/17th centuries.
The priory was
dissolved in 1540 and surrendered by prior Edmond O'Lonergan; the church, parochial and conventual buildings were occupied by Sir Thomas Butler by January 1541. The priory was alienated by William Hutchinson and Edward Walshe 1561 and granted to Edmond Butler in 1566.
Buildings
The
chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...
of the church survives, with a row of windows in the north wall; also there are carved
corbel
In architecture, a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal keyed into and projecting from a wall to carry a wikt:superincumbent, bearing weight, a type of bracket (architecture), bracket. A corbel is a solid piece of material in t ...
s and
mouldings in
limestone
Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...
.
There is a residential tower, apparently seventeenth century in date, immediately west of the chancel.
There are also a cloister and domestic buildings.
Mason's marks are visible.
hood mould
In architecture, a hood mould, hood, label mould (from Latin , lip), drip mould or dripstone is an external moulded projection from a wall over an opening to throw off rainwater, historically often in form of a '' pediment''. This moulding can be ...
File:Cahir Priory of St. Mary Choir East Wall Double Piscina 2012 09 05.jpg, double piscina
A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, or else in the vestry or sacristy, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Lutherans and Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a pisci ...
File:Cahir Priory of St. Mary Tower Doorway Celtic Knot 2012 09 05.jpg, A carved Celtic knot
Celtic knots (, , , ) are a variety of knots and Style (visual arts)#Stylization, stylized graphical representations of knots used for decoration, used extensively in the Celtic style of Insular art. These knots are most known for their adapta ...
File:Cahir Priory of St. Mary Second Tower 2012 09 05.jpg, tower at the south-east corner of the cloister which was erected after the priory was dissolved
References
{{Reflist
Augustinian monasteries in the Republic of Ireland
Religion in County Tipperary
Archaeological sites in County Tipperary
National monuments in County Tipperary
Cahir
Monasteries dissolved under the Irish Reformation