Kilcrea Friary
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Kilcrea Friary () is a ruined medieval
abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christians, Christian monks and nun ...
located near
Ovens, County Cork Ovens (), formerly also Athnowen, is a small village adjacent to the town of Ballincollig, County Cork, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The 2006 census recorded that the population of the village was 1,703 - an increase of 62.1% from the 2002 Cen ...
, Ireland. Both the friary and Kilcrea Castle, located in ruin to the west, were built by Observant
Franciscans The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor being the largest conte ...
in the mid 15th century under the invitation of Cormac Láidir MacCarthy, Lord of Muskerry, as protection from English troops. The friary was sacked by the English army a number of times in the late 1500s, during which it sustained considerable damage, but remained occupied by friars until the 1620s. MacCarthy was killed in battle in 1494 and is buried at the site. The site has remained in continuous use as a burial ground, and contains, among others, the remains of
Art Ó Laoghaire Art Ó Laoghaire (IPA:ˈaɾˠt̪ˠoːˈl̪ˠiːəɾʲə, also Airt Ó Laoghaire or Art O'Leary; 1746 – 4 May 1773), a Roman Catholic member of the Gaelic nobility of Ireland, was a captain in the Hungarian Hussars Regiment of the army of Holy ...
, known for the lament composed for him by his widow
Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill (also known as Eileen O'Connell, ) was a member of the Irish gentry and a poet. She was the main composer of '' Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire'', a traditional lament in Irish described (in its written form) as the grea ...
. The abbey's main features include an aisle, a
transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...
on the south-side, and
cloisters A cloister (from Latin , "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a warm southe ...
at the north end. The narrow tower is ascended via a series of steep and winding stairs. The areas around the tower were once dormitories, day rooms and kitchens. The name Kilcrea is derived from the . Cyra was an early medieval abbess who reputedly founded a nunnery to the east of the friary in the parish of St Owen's (Ovens).


History

The abbey was founded in 1465 for the Observant Franciscans by Cormac Láidir MacCarthy, Lord of Muskerry, on the grounds of on an earlier Christian site. Located in the valley of the Bride river, it is named after the sixth-century holy lady Saint Cyra (also known as St Créidh), said to have been the
abbess An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa'') is the female superior of a community of nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic, Lutheran and Anglican abbeys, the mod ...
of the original nunnery located on the site, and who by legend may be interred in the centre of the
choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...
. Although both the abbey and nearby Kilcrea Castle are located in what is today open countryside, it is thought that originally the sites were positioned on an east–west axis of a now-abandoned early medieval settlement. Kilcrea was first attacked by the English army in 1542 and sacked in 1584, but continued in use under MacCarthy's patronage. In 1597, it was granted to Cormac MacDermot MacCarthy. It was twice repaired, including in 1604, and remained active until the 1620s, with Fr. John Gould recorded as
Superior Superior may refer to: *Superior (hierarchy), something which is higher in a hierarchical structure of any kind Places * Superior (proposed U.S. state), an unsuccessful proposal for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to form a separate state *Lak ...
in 1621. Its grounds have been used for general burial since the early 17th century; mostly in the graveyard within the ruins of the abbey's
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 ...
. It was the burial place of the McCarthy's of Muskerry from 1494 to 1616, commencing. with Cormac MacCarthy. However, there are no surviving traces of their tombs on the site. Cormac Láidir MacCarthy tomb bears the inscription: "Hit Jacet Cormac filius Derm-ittu Magni MlcCarthy, Domii nus de Illutsgraiyli IFlayn, at istius conventus prinius fun dator An. Dont. 1495". A head carved on the tower's upper floors is thought to represent him. A 15th-century manuscript written at Kilcrea, known as the ''Rennes Manuscript'', is preserved in
Rennes Rennes (; ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in Northwestern France at the confluence of the rivers Ille and Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the Brittany (administrative region), Brittany Regions of F ...
, France. Consisting of 125 folios of poor-quality parchment, the book is an important example of
Dinshenchas ''Dindsenchas'' or ''Dindshenchas'' (modern spellings: ''Dinnseanchas'' or ''Dinnsheanchas'' or ''Dınnṡeanċas''), meaning "lore of places" (the modern Irish word ''dinnseanchas'' means "topography"), is a class of onomastic text in early Irish ...
. A separate oval
reliquary A reliquary (also referred to as a ''shrine'', ''Chasse (casket), chasse'', or ''phylactery'') is a container for relics. A portable reliquary, or the room in which one is stored, may also be called a ''feretory''. Relics may be the purported ...
, measuring 2.5 inches long and 2.5 inches wide, dated from the late medieval period was found on the site. It is inscribed on two sides, with the words "IN HOC SIGNUM VINCE" on one and "EICCE BENEDICTUS AGNUS DEI" on the reverse. The object was seemingly intended to be carried, as indicted by the rope moldings which contain loops in which a chain could be attached. The abbey is a National Monument of Ireland, #182, which entitles it to state protection. However, there have been some reported illegal excavations in the graveyard by
detectorists ''Detectorists'' is a British comedy television series first broadcast on BBC Four in October 2014. It is written and directed by Mackenzie Crook, who also stars alongside Toby Jones. The series is set in the fictional small town of Danebury i ...
.


Architecture and layout

Kilcrea Friary consists of a series of buildings located around a main church or chapel. Although in ruins, the abbey is still relatively complete, including its tower,
cloister A cloister (from Latin , "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open Arcade (architecture), arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle (architecture), quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cat ...
and the surrounding east, west and north-facing buildings. The abbey's chapel contains a
nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
, chancel,
transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...
and an L-shaped
aisle An aisle is a linear space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, in buildings such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, parliaments, courtrooms, ...
. It is entered through a doorway in its west gable. An
arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated video, pinball, electro-mechanical, redemption, etc., game ** Arcade video game, a coin-operated video game ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade video game's hardware ** Arcad ...
separates the nave from the south aisle and transept. The chancel contains a large window on its east wall, which has lost its original intersecting
tracery Tracery is an architectural device by which windows (or screens, panels, and vaults) are divided into sections of various proportions by stone ''bars'' or ''ribs'' of moulding. Most commonly, it refers to the stonework elements that support th ...
. The other four pointed windows are fixed on the south wall via segmental-headed embrasures, and contained either single or twined glass panes (''lights''). No trace survives of the high altar which was likely positioned under the east window, but an arched
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 ...
is found nearby in the south wall. Adjoining the chancel is the
sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christianity, Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is us ...
which was added in the 16th century, above which is the
scriptorium A scriptorium () was a writing room in medieval European monasteries for the copying and illuminating of manuscripts by scribes. The term has perhaps been over-used—only some monasteries had special rooms set aside for scribes. Often they ...
. The cloister area is located north of the church. The arcades are missing from the cloister, although the roofless two-story ranges are well preserved and mostly intact. The remains of the chapter room and
refectory A refectory (also frater, frater house, fratery) is a dining room, especially in monastery, monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminary, seminaries. The name ...
or possibly the kitchen (33 x 21 ft) are located on the east range, above which are the dormitories. There is evidence in some records that the friary once contained an
infirmary Infirmary may refer to: *Historically, a hospital, especially a small hospital *A first aid room in a school, prison, or other institution *A dispensary (an office that dispenses medications) *A clinic A clinic (or outpatient clinic or ambul ...
, however, the precise room has not been identified. The scriptorium measures 39 x 17 ft and probably also functioned as a study room. As with all such rooms in medieval Irish friaries, it was the most well-lit room on the site; the room in Kilcrea contains 11 tall two-light windows. A recess for a holy water stoup is located outside the doorway, and in the gable over the doorway are the remains of a large, three-light window. The tower contained four storeys with timber floors supported on stone
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. Each storey was lit by plain, narrow, flat-headed windows. Except for the top storey where there is a single
ogee An ogee ( ) is an object, element, or curve—often seen in architecture and building trades—that has a serpentine- or extended S-shape (Sigmoid curve, sigmoid). Ogees consist of a "double curve", the combination of two semicircle, semicircula ...
-headed light in each wall. It is broader at its base in order to accommodate the stairways and passage to the tower.


Notable burials

*
Cormac Laidir MacCarthy Cormac Laidir MacCarthy, 9th Lord of Muskerry (1411–1494), was an Irish chieftain. He founded Kilcrea Friary and built Kilcrea Castle. Birth and origins Cormac was born in 1411, the eldest son of Teige MacC ...
(1411–1494), 6th Lord of Muskerry * Thomas O'Herlahy, Catholic Bishop of Ross (1561–1579) * Charles MacCarthy (died 1704), Jacobite politician. *
Art Ó Laoghaire Art Ó Laoghaire (IPA:ˈaɾˠt̪ˠoːˈl̪ˠiːəɾʲə, also Airt Ó Laoghaire or Art O'Leary; 1746 – 4 May 1773), a Roman Catholic member of the Gaelic nobility of Ireland, was a captain in the Hungarian Hussars Regiment of the army of Holy ...
(1746–1773), subject of the poem "
Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire or the ''Lament for Art Ó Laoghaire, Arthur O' Leary'' is an Irish Language, Irish Keening, keen composed in the main by Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill, a member of the Gaelic gentry in the 18th century, who was born in C ...
"


References


Notes


Sources

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External links


Ecclesiastical Ireland - Photographs of Kilcrea Friary
{{Authority control 1465 establishments in Ireland Archaeological sites in County Cork Buildings and structures in County Cork Franciscan monasteries in the Republic of Ireland National monuments in County Cork MacCarthy dynasty Religion in County Cork