Quin Abbey (
Irish: ''Mainistir Chuinche''), is a ruined
Franciscan
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 institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...
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 ...
in
Quin, County Clare, Ireland. It was built for Fathers Purcell and Mooney,
friars
A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders in the Catholic Church. There are also friars outside of the Catholic Church, such as within the Anglican Communion. The term, first used in the 12th or 13th century, distinguishes the mendic ...
of the Franciscan order.
[75th Annual Report of the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland; Clonmacnois, King's County. Dublin: A. Thom & Co, 1906]
History
The placename (Irish ''Cuinche''; 13th-century documents also use the spellings ''Cuinnche, Cuinnchi, Cunnchi, Cuindchi, Coinche, Coynche, Cuínchi, Cuince'') is thought to derive from a tree: either an
arbutus (strawberry tree) (Irish ''caithne'') or perhaps a
quince
The quince (; ''Cydonia oblonga'') is the sole member of the genus ''Cydonia'' in the Malinae subtribe (which contains apples, pears, and other fruits) of the Rosaceae family. It is a deciduous tree that bears hard, aromatic bright golden-yel ...
(Irish ''cainche''), used at the time for making
jam.
A far earlier monastery had existed on the site but burned down in 1278.
A
Norman castle was built soon after by Thomas de Clare, a military commander. The foundations of the castle's enormous corner towers can still be seen. Around 1350 the castle, by then a ruin, was rebuilt as a church by the
MacNamara clan.
The present abbey was rebuilt either by Mac Cam Dall Macnamara
or by Sioda Cam MacConmara between 1402 and 1433, using the south curtain-wall of the old castle. It was this structure which the MacNamaras subsequently rebuilt as the present abbey, properly called a friary. In 1541, during the
Reformation
The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...
,
King Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disagreement w ...
confiscated the friary and it passed into the hands of Conor O'Brian, Earl of Thomond. In about 1590 the MacNamaras regained control of the site and once again set about repairing and restoring it. The monastery was repaired by 1604.
In about 1640 the building became a college and is alleged to have had 800 students.
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...
arrived only 10 years later, killing the friars and destroying the friary. In 1671 the building was once again restored, but never regained its former status.
In 1740
Bishop Pococke described it thus: "Quin is one of the finest and most entire monasteries that I have seen in Ireland." As late as 1808 the monastery was reported to be in much the same condition as Pococke had found it.
In 1760 the friars were ultimately expelled, although the last Friar, John Hogan, remained there until his death in 1820, by which time the buildings were ruined by neglect.
[ C. P. Meehan, ''The Rise & Fall of the Irish Franciscan Monasteries''; James Duffy & Sons, Dublin 1877.]
Architecture
Although mostly roofless, the structure of the abbey is relatively well preserved. There is an intact cloister, and many other surviving architectural features make the friary of significant historical value.
A visitor centre is located near the building and the structure and grounds can be visited free of charge. A caretaker is permanently based at the monument. Floodlighting has also been installed. The graveyard surrounding the friary is still in use.
See also
*
List of abbeys and priories in Ireland (County Clare)
References
External links
Quin Franciscan Friary, Monastic Ireland
{{Tourism in County Clare
Buildings and structures completed in 1350
Churches completed in the 1350s
Buildings and structures completed in 1433
1433 establishments in Ireland
Franciscan monasteries in the Republic of Ireland
Buildings and structures in County Clare
Religion in County Clare
Ruins in the Republic of Ireland
Christian monasteries established in the 1430s
National monuments in County Clare
Ruined abbeys and monasteries
14th-century churches in Ireland