An early monastery was founded here in 622 by St. Lachtin, from whom the medieval friary took its name.
The construction of the friary began in 1464 under the patronage of John O'Connor Kerry and in 1477 it was consecrated by indult of Pope Sixtus IV.
In April 1580 the English forces arrived to this area and began their raids and attacks. The first siege was to the O'Connor castle at Carrigafoyle castle, 2 kilometres northwest from here, where the English sacked the castle and killed the defenders. After the castle they directed their attention to the friary. The friars fled and carried away with them all they could, but three of them, three elderly men, remained in the church where they looked for shelter and refuge but they were found and killed by the soldiers who, subsequently, plundered the place.
The friary was abandoned but remained in use, though intermittently, until 1629.
The friary had a plain structure, with a church, a cloister, domestic buildings and a central tower that has completely gone. Most of the structure has been destroyed during the years.
The church has an intact four-light window in the east (100°) wall. The chancel has three south windows and a triple sedilia in its south wall. In the north wall a doorway leads to the sacristy and the domestic buildings.
The nave to the west has a pointed arch doorway and a small window above it. Two niche tombs are in the north wall of the nave. A doorway is in the southwall.
There's a south transept with a fine four-light window and a large archway in its west wall and a two-light window and a doorway in its east wall. Two ambries are in the south and east walls. An ambry is a recess in the wall to hold and protect sacred vessels used during religious ceremonies.
Domestic buildings and the cloister were in the north section of the friary, but nothing remains of the cloister.
There's still the gateway to the complex, but it's now part of the nearby farm and not accessible.
We came here for the first time on May 15th, 2000.
|