The Priory Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Athenry, also called Athenry Priory, is a medieval Dominican

priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or nuns (such as the Dominicans, Augustinians, Franciscans, and Carmelites), or monasteries of mon ...

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 spec ...

located in

Athenry Athenry (; ) is a town in County Galway, Ireland, which lies east of Galway city. Some of the attractions of the medieval town are its town wall, Athenry Castle, its priory and its 13th century street-plan. The town is also well known by virtu ...

, Ireland.

Location

Athenry Abbey is located in the eastern part of

, east of the Clarinbridge River.

History

Meyler de Bermingham Meyler de Bermingham (d. before 1275) was an Anglo-Irish lord, founder of Athenry. Ancestry Meyler was a great-grandson of Robert de Bermingham who is said to have obtained a grant of Offaly from Strongbow or Henry II about 1172. Robert's son ...

was the founder in 1241. Other local notables funded it: Feidlim Ua Conchobair,

King of Connacht The Kings of Connacht were rulers of the ''cóiced'' (variously translated as portion, fifth, province) of Connacht, which lies west of the River Shannon, Ireland. However, the name only became applied to it in the early medieval era, being name ...

built the refectory; Owen Ó hEidhin (King of

Uí Fiachrach Aidhne Uí Fhiachrach Aidhne (also known as Hy Fiachrach) was a kingdom located in what is now the south of County Galway. Legendary origins and geography Originally known as Aidhne, it was said to have been settled by the mythical Fir Bolg. Dubhaltac ...

) built the

dormitory A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm) is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people such as boarding school, high school, college or university s ...

and Conchobar Ó Cellaigh of

Uí Maine U or u, is the twenty-first and sixth-to-last letter and fifth vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''u'' (pro ...

the chapter house. The priory initially stood on the edge of the town walls, but was later enveloped by them. A provincial chapter was held at Athenry in 1242. Flann Mac Flainn,

Archbishop of Tuam The Archbishop of Tuam ( ; ga, Ard-Easpag Thuama) is an archbishop which takes its name after the town of Tuam in County Galway, Ireland. The title was used by the Church of Ireland until 1839, and is still in use by the Catholic Church. Histor ...

, built a house for scholars in the 1250s. Founder Meyler was buried in the priory in 1252. His son William de Bermingham was

; he had a dispute with the monastery in 1297 but was buried there in 1312. The refectory (now destroyed) was built around 1265, with the chapel completed before 1340. In 1324,

William Liath de Burgh William Liath de Burgh (; ; died 1324) was an Irish noble and deputy Justiciar of Ireland (1308–09). Background De Burgh was a son of William Og de Burgh, who was killed at the Battle of Áth-an-Chip or Athankip in 1270, and a nephew of ...

left money to enlarge the church and priory, a task completed by 1345. Joanna de Ruffur died in 1408 and left money to construct a new east window and windows in the

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

. Athenry Priory was burned in 1423;

indulgence In the teaching of the Catholic Church, an indulgence (, from , 'permit') is "a way to reduce the amount of punishment one has to undergo for sins". The '' Catechism of the Catholic Church'' describes an indulgence as "a remission before God o ...

s were granted by

Pope Martin V Pope Martin V ( la, Martinus V; it, Martino V; January/February 1369 – 20 February 1431), born Otto (or Oddone) Colonna, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 November 1417 to his death in February 1431. Hi ...

and

Pope Eugene IV Pope Eugene IV ( la, Eugenius IV; it, Eugenio IV; 1383 – 23 February 1447), born Gabriele Condulmer, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 3 March 1431 to his death in February 1447. Condulmer was a Venetian, and ...

to those who contributed to its repair. 1451, the friars built a chapel on land north of the river at Carrowardahrah, granted by

Ulick Ruadh Burke Ulick Ruadh Burke, 5th Clanricarde or Mac William Uachtar (; ; ; ; died 1485) was an Irish chieftain and noble who was the son of Ulick an Fhiona Burke, 3rd Clanricarde (d.1424). Ulick succeeded his uncle, William mac Ulick Burke, 4th Clanric ...

. The monastery was dissolved in 1574. Athenry Abbey was burned during the uprising of William mac an Iarla Burke in the 1570s. Regular Observant Friars reoccupied it 1595–7. In the 1640s the historian James Ware acquired the Register of the priory. Athenry was re-revived as a

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

in 1644, before being shut down by Cromwellians in 1652. The friars last occupied Athenry priory between 1685 and 1698. In the 18th century the priory was used as a military barracks. The last de Bermingham to be buried at Athenry was Lady Mathilda Bermingham (d. 1788). The tower collapsed around 1790. Lady Mathilda's tomb, a Coade stone monument, was broken into in 2002, perhaps by thieves.

Buildings

The remains consist of

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ove ...

and a northern

aisle An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, certain types of buildings, such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, parl ...

and

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform ("cross-shaped") building withi ...

, and tombs from the 13th–15th centuries. The tall lancet windows in the chancel are probably 13th century while the remainder is 14th century. File:Athenry Abbey 2.jpg, The abbey in winter File:Athenry Sunset 20121022 0001b.jpg, Sunset over the abbey church File:Athenry Abbey, Co.Galway.JPG, Another view

References

{{Reflist Dominican monasteries in the Republic of Ireland Religion in County Galway Archaeological sites in County Galway National Monuments in County Galway