Ross Errilly Friary, Galway - Megalithic Ireland

Ross Errilly Friary, County Galway, Ireland (© plainpicture)(Bing United Kingdom)

Ross Errilly

Friary

Ross Errilly Friary (Irish:Mainistir Ros Oirialaigh) is the largest and best preserved Franciscan Friary in Ireland. The medieval friary, located about two miles west of Headford in County Galway, was founded in 1351 by Raymond de Burgo( Later Burke}. The monastic remains are approached along a narrow road and although the first views of the friary from the road are quite lovely, the building does not look that impressive. But as we first walked around the outside of the monastery we could see how extensive it really was. Most of the buildings date to the 15th century.

We entered the friary through a pointed west doorway leading into the nave of the rectangular church. My first impression disappeared as I looked up in awe at the huge tower, built in 1498, which separated the nave and chancel. Under the tower we could see the holes where the bell ropes would come through. To our right on the southside of the nave was a double south transept which added to the feeling of vastness of the building. There was a large cloister on the north side of the building and later as the friary grew a second cloister was added. The two cloisters are a most unusual feature of the Friary. There are many other domestic building on the north side of the church including a kitchen to the northwest, a bake house, the refectory and also a stone the friars would use for washing clothes, shown bottom right.