Timoleague Franciscan Friary

The ruins of Timoleague Friary are located in the village of Timoleague on the banks of the Argideen River. The Franciscan Friary is dated to before 1316, but is built on an earlier monastic settlement founded by St Molaga. The friary is attributed to William de Barry and his wife Margery de Courcy who are buried in the friary. The friary became the burial place of the MacCarthy Reaghs in the medieval period. The Book of Lismore was in possession of the friars in 1629.

The friary, of Early English Gothic style, is substantial with a cloistral layout, domestic ranges, wall passages, choir, sacristy, ambulatory, cellars in the east range, and burial place. A bell tower was added by Bishop John de Courcy after 1510 and consisted of an infirmary and library. De Courcy was buried in the transept of the church.

After the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII the friars remained until it was granted to James de Barry in 1577, kinsman of Barryscourt Barry’s. However, by 1642 the friary was burnt down by crown forces during the Irish Confederate War. The friary’s burial grounds were desecrated in 1920 by British soldiers. Two chalices are associated with Timoleague Friary, the Dale-Browne Chalice with an inscription that reads ‘Pray for the souls of Charles Daly and Elizabeth Browne’, now held in Collins Barracks, Cork. The second chalice, Timoleague Franciscan Chalice, dates to 1633 and its inscription translates to ‘Friars Minor Convent of Timoleague’, held by the Timoleague parish priest and his successors.

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This national monument is protected in accordance with the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014