Carlingford Abbey, also called Carlingford Friary or Carlingford Priory, is a medieval Dominican

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The conce ...

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 Carlingford, County Louth, Ireland.

Location

Carlingford Abbey is located in the centre of the town, just off Dundalk Street.

History

NEWENHAM(1830) p185 LOUTH - CARLINGFORD ABBEY

This abbey was founded by the

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of Cal ...

1305 Year 1305 ( MCCCV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * April 30 – Co-Emperor Michael IX (Palaiologos) invites Roger de Flor, Ita ...

under the patronage of

Richard Óg de Burgh, 2nd Earl of Ulster Richard Óg de Burgh, 2nd Earl of Ulster and 3rd Baron of Connaught (; ; 1259 – 29 July 1326), called The Red Earl ( Latinized to de Burgo), was one of the most powerful Irish nobles of the late 13th and early 14th centuries and father of ...

, and dedicated to

Saint Malachy Malachy (}; Modern ga, Maelmhaedhoc Ó Morgair; ) ( 1094 – 2 November 1148) is an Irish saint who was Archbishop of Armagh, to whom were attributed several miracles and an alleged vision of 112 popes later attributed to the apocryphal ...

(

1095 Year 1095 (Roman numerals, MXCV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * March – Emperor Alexios I Komnenos, Alexios I (Komnenos) sen ...

–

1148 Year 1148 ( MCXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Second Crusade * January 1 – The French crusaders under King Louis VII defeat a Turkish am ...

). Two towers were added to the northwest and southwest corners of the west

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

in 1423, giving the church its

fortified A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

appearance. Rebuilding took place in the early 16th century. It remained in use until the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The buildings were then used for a

hall In architecture, a hall is a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In the Iron Age and early Middle Ages in northern Europe, a mead hall was where a lord and his retainers ate and also slept. Later in the Middle Ages, the gr ...

, a

barracks Barracks are usually a group of long buildings built to house military personnel or laborers. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word "barraca" ("soldier's tent"), but today barracks are u ...

and a

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...

alley. In 1671, under King Charles II, the abbey was to reopen, but ownership was disputed with the

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

. Oliver Plunkett, then Catholic

Archbishop of Armagh In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdio ...

, returned the Abbey to the Dominicans. The Abbey relocated to

Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...

in 1777.

Buildings

Remaining at Carlingford Abbey are the

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 central bell-tower, built of rough coursed

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

and greywacke. Slightly to the south are outbuildings and a mill house. Defensive towers,

crenellations A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interva ...

and a

machicolation A machicolation (french: mâchicoulis) is a floor opening between the supporting corbels of a battlement, through which stones or other material, such as boiling water, hot sand, quicklime or boiling cooking oil, could be dropped on attackers at t ...

were added in the 15th century.

References

{{Authority control Christian monasteries in the Republic of Ireland Religion in County Louth Archaeological sites in County Louth National Monuments in County Louth Dominican monasteries in the Republic of Ireland 1305 establishments in Europe Carlingford, County Louth

Location

History

Buildings

See also

References