Roscrea Friary () is a ruined medieval
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 ...
friary
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which may ...
and
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 ...
in
Roscrea
Roscrea () is a market town in County Tipperary, Ireland. In 2022 it had a population of 5,542. Roscrea is one of the oldest towns in Ireland, having developed around the 7th century monastery of Crónán of Roscrea, Saint Crónán of Roscrea, p ...
,
County Tipperary
County Tipperary () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary (tow ...
,
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
. It is on Abbey Street, in the west end of Roscrea, on the north bank of the
River Bunnow. The Friary was founded in the 15th century by Greyfriars (Franciscans) and later destroyed by British soldiers. What remains are the north and east walls and the bell tower.
History
Tradition ascribes the first foundation of a monastery here to
Crónán of Roscrea
Saint Crónán (died 640) was the abbot-bishop and patron of the diocese of Roscrea (a see later incorporated into the diocese of Killaloe), Ireland. He should not be confused with his contemporary Saint Crónán Mochua (died 637).
Life
Crà ...
(died 640).
Roscrea Friary was founded before 1477 by the
Order of Friars Minor Conventual
The Order of Friars Minor Conventual (O.F.M. Conv.) is a male religious fraternity in the Catholic Church and a branch of the Franciscan Order. Conventual Franciscan Friars are identified by the affix O.F.M. Conv. after their names. They are ...
(Greyfriars) by Maolruanaidh Ó Cerbaill (Mulrooney
O'Carroll
O'Carroll (), also known as simply Carroll, Carrol or Carrell, is a Gaelic Irish clan which is the most prominent sept of the Ciannachta (also known as Clan Cian). Their genealogies claim that they are kindred with the Eóganachta (themsel ...
, King of
Éile
Éile (; , ), commonly anglicised as Ely, was a medieval petty kingdom in the southern part of the modern county of Offaly and parts of North Tipperary in Ireland. The historic barony of Eliogarty was once a significant portion of the kingdom.
...
; 1390–c.1480) and his wife Bibiana (née
Dempsey).
It was reformed c. 1490 for the
Order of Friars Minor
The Order of Friars Minor (commonly called the Franciscans, the Franciscan Order, or the Seraphic Order; Post-nominal letters, postnominal abbreviation OFM) is a Mendicant orders, mendicant Catholic religious order, founded in 1209 by Francis ...
. The present buildings date to that period.
The friary was
dissolved c. 1577–79 and destroyed by English soldiers. Fr Thady O'Daly escaped capture but was later hanged in
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...
.
The friary's land was granted to
Connor O'Brien, 3rd Earl of Thomond
Connor O'Brien, 3rd Earl of Thomond also spelt Conor and called Groibleach, or the "long-nailed", (; 1535–1581) contended with his uncle Domhnall mac Conchobair Ó Briain, Donnell for the Chieftainship of Clan O'Brien dynasty, O'Brien from 15 ...
, c. 1568, who assigned it to William Crow. ed
Some of the friary stone may have been used to build the Catholic church in the 18th century.
Buildings
The remaining are the north and east walls and the central
bell tower
A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...
.
The bell tower is two storeys high and is
crenellated
A battlement, in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at intervals ...
. The tower is carried on pointed arches, with a
chamfer
A chamfer ( ) is a transitional edge between two faces of an object. Sometimes defined as a form of bevel, it is often created at a 45° angle between two adjoining right-angled faces.
Chamfers are frequently used in machining, carpentry, fur ...
ed
soffit
A soffit is an exterior architectural feature, generally the horizontal, aloft underside of the roof edge. Its archetypal form, sometimes incorporating or implying the projection of rafters or trusses over the exterior of supporting walls, is t ...
order and on
moulded corbels
In architecture, a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal keyed into and projecting from a wall to carry a bearing weight, a type of bracket. A corbel is a solid piece of material in the wall, whereas a console is a piece applie ...
.
References
{{authority control
15th-century establishments in Ireland
16th-century disestablishments in Ireland
Franciscan monasteries in the Republic of Ireland
Religion in County Tipperary
Archaeological sites in County Tipperary
National monuments in County Tipperary
Roscrea