The Augustinian Priory of St. Mary at Clontuskert is thought to have been founded in the later part of the twelfth century by Turlough O'Connor, King of Connacht, on the site of an eighth century monastery dedicated to St. Boedán, although no archaeological evidence has been found as yet of the earlier monastery.

Originally Clontuskert would have been a considerably sized Priory that was regularly expanded, with a large undivided church dating to the late twelfth century that later became the chancel when the church was expanded in the early fifeenth century, it was enlarged again when a north transept was added to the building in the late fifteenth century. Though the Church still survives well today, many of the other structures only survive as foundations, although a small part of the cloister has been reconstructed from the remains found on site.
The Priory was under the patronage of the powerful O'Kelly family who held sway in this region during the medieval period, and the head of the Priory traditionally had the honour of inaugurating the new head of the O'Kelly's.

An O'Kelly Tomb dating to 1646

It is recorded in 1413 that an indulgence was granted to raise funds for the repair of the Priory Church that had recently been 'totally destroyed' by fire, and much of the visible architectural remains on site date to after this point.

It appears that the original Augustinian Canons were replaced by Augustinian Friars in the early seventeenth century, and a doorway in the Church between the chancel and nave has the date 1637 carved above it.

For me the most spectacular feature on the site is the amazing west doorway into the nave. It is beautifully carved and bears the figures of St. Michael brandishing a sword and scales for weighing souls on Judgement Day, St. John the Baptist, St. Catherine and a Bishop. It also depicts a pelican, a star, a pair of griffins, a dog, a deer, a rose and strangely, a mermaid (see bottom picture) who has a mirror in her left hand and a star in her right hand. Similar mermaids can be found at Clonfert and St.Nicholas's Cathedral in Galway (thanks to Finn Delaney for the great reference there!).  The inscription above the doorway reads:
Mathev Dei gra eps Clonfertens et Patre oneacdavayn canonie esti domine fi fecert Ano do MCCCCLXXI
Which can be translated to:
Mathew by the Grace of God, Bishop of Clonfert, and Patrick O’Naughton, canon of this house, caused me to be made in 1471.

Close up of the top of the western doorway with (from left-right) St. Michael, John the Baptist, St.Catherine and a Bishop

 This doorway alone is worth the trip to Ballinasloe, as it has some of the finest fifteenth century medieval carvings in Ireland.
Contuskert Priory is very easy to find. Simply head from Ballinasloe towards Portumna on the R355, go past the Ballinasloe Golf Club and keep going straight down the road, after about 5-6km on the R355 you'll see the site on your left hand side. There is a small carpark then the site is a short 100m walk down a lane.

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All photographs © Neil Jackman / abartaaudioguides.com

The Mermaid at Clontuskert, she's no Darryl Hannah

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Clonfert Cathedral in County Galway is probably best known for its amazing doorway, the finest example of Romanesque architecture in Ireland. The Romanesque style of architecture was influenced by classical Roman and Byzantine architecture, and generally dates to the early medieval period, some time between the 8th - 11th Centuries AD across the continent. It appears a little later in Ireland, and seems to coincide with large scale reforms of the Irish church in the twelfth century. The Irish builders incorporated their own styles with Romanesque to create a hybrid of the two, which is known as Hiberno-Romanesque architecture. 

A close-up of the carved heads

The doorway at Clonfert is in six ‘orders’ and has inclined jambs. Above the doorway, a steep triangular pediment is covered with Romanesque decoration showing animal heads, foliage, zig-zags, chevrons, but most striking of all are the individually carved human heads.

The wonderfully ornate Romanesque decoration

However striking, the Romanesque doorway was a late addition onto a church that was already famous in Ireland. It is referred to in the annals before 1050 as one of the four largest churches in the country (Annals of the Four Masters, Annals of Inishfallen, Chronicon Scotorum). Clonfert is associated with Saint Brendan, he is said to have founded a monastery here in the sixth century. Brendan is known as The Navigator, and is one of the most famous of Ireland’s monastic saints. 

A ninth century book The Voyage of Saint Brendan the Navigator records his legendary journey to ‘The Isle of the Blessed’, a journey that involves sea monsters, strange islands and their inhabitants and that some people even believe to suggest that Brendan was the first European to discover America! There are no remains of Brendan’s monastic site visible at Clonfert, though a gravestone in the churchyard marks the spot where he is allegedly buried.

15th Century sculpture, note the mermaid at the base

As you pass through the doorway into the cathedral you can notice that the innermost part of the doorway is a later medieval (around the fifteenth century) addition, carved of grey limestone in contrast to the sandstone of the flamboyant Romanesque door. Much of the fine carvings and archway in the interior are also of fifteenth century date, and see if you can find a charming carving of a mermaid dating to this period too. She is similar to that at nearby Clontuskert.  
Clonfert is certainly worth a visit to see the spectacular Romanesque doorway and the wealth of later fifteenth century sculpture inside. You’ll find it around 15km south-east of Ballinasloe, when you get to Laurencetown it is signposted down a minor road to the east off the R355 (Ballinasloe – Portumna Road). At co-ordinates 53.240651, -8.058621.

You can find more information about Clonfert from their website http://www.clonfertdiocese.ie

 

The interior of Clonfert

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This Friary was originally commissioned by the Norman knight John de Cogan in the middle of the thirteenth century. The main structures on the site are the large nave and chancel church that probably dates between the late 13th – early 15th century, and later in the middle to late fifteenth century, a large bell tower, an aisle and a transept were added.

The elaborate canopied tomb of the de Burgh's

The site must once have been a busy and bustling centre,  as the remains of a deserted medieval settlement lie adjacent to the Friary next to the river. The settlement would have grown up around the Friary, with a substantial lay population of farm labourers, stone masons and builders, merchants and craftsmen and women all working to provide supplies and labour for the Friary.

Claregalway Friary is one of Ireland's finest Franciscan Friaries.  It is thought that the Franciscans first arrived in Ireland in the early thirteenth century, shortly after the death of the orders founder St. Francis of Assisi in 1226. They established a base in Dublin, and by the middle of the thirteenth century they had Friaries in Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford, Drogheda, Athlone, Cork, Ennis, Limerick, Dundalk, Carrickfergus, New Ross, Multyfarnham, Nenagh, Ardfert, Kildare, Armagh and here at Claregalway. Most of these Friaries were founded by Anglo-Norman nobles like John de Cogan, and the powerful William de Burgh is said to have commissioned a foundation in Galway.

The tomb plaque added to the de Burgh tomb dating to 1648

 You can find a de Burgh tomb here at Claregalway Friary with a gothic style canopy probably dating to the fifteenth century. A later tomb plaque dating to 1648 was added to it.

The Friary has a number of well preserved medieval and post-medieval tombs, and you can see some great sculptural details if you keep your eyes open around the site.

Like so many of Ireland's monastic foundations Claregalway was dissolved by King Henry VIII in the early 1540's during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the Reformation. After King Henry had rejected Papal authority, he quickly moved to have all the religious orders closed down as they were under the authority of the Pope, though perhaps his prime motivation for closing down all the wealthy monastic sites was to raise much needed capital to finance his foreign wars.   



During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I the Friary was used as a barracks for her troops.

Claregalway Friary was given to the Earl of Clanricarde in the early seventeenth century, and the Franciscans returned in the early 1640's though they lacked the capital to conduct all the necessary renovations to return the site to its former glory.




By the eighteenth century the decline of Claregalway Friary was clear enough that the French diplomat Coquebert de Montbret wrote in 1791 that “the monks are settling down among the ruins.”

Today Claregalway Friary is certainly worth visiting when you are in the area. It has a number of great features to discover and is a rewarding place to spend an hour or two. 




The site couldn't be easier to find, it is just on the N17 road from Galway to Tuam on the northern side of Claregalway. The site is surrounded by a modern graveyard, but is still easily accessible with a small carpark.

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