Grangefertagh Round Tower and Church

Set within an early medieval monastery founded by St. Ciarán of Saigir in the 6^th century stands Grangefertagh Round Tower. The round tower has eight floors, is 31.5m tall and is built from limestone. A round tower within an ecclesiastical enclosure denoted the financial success of the monastery. Raids and plundering of monasteries by Vikings and the local Irish was common-place. The Annals of the Four Masters notes that this round tower was raided by Vikings in 861. Then in 1156, with the chief master/lector Eochaidh O’Cuim within the round tower, it was burned by the high king Murtagh McNeale. The original doorway, to the north-east, is 3.3m above ground and accessed originally by ladder, so too are the internal floors. Grangefertagh round tower has, in total, nine windows. Four triangular-headed bell-floor windows face the cardinal points, on the top storey. The remaining five windows, in the body of the tower in descending order, are two triangular-headed, two lintelled and two triangular-headed windows. From the tower’s cornice, a lower portion of the original conical capstone is still present.

Grangefertagh Church represents the evolution of the monastic site. This church was part of the priory founded in the 13^th century on the site of St. Ciarán’s 6^th century original monastery. The 13^th century priory was founded by the Blanchfield family for the Canons Regular of St. Augustine. The priory is mentioned throughout the 13^th, 14^th and 15^th centuries in the Calandar of Papal Registers. In the 15^th century however the fortunes of the former 13^th century monastic site was in decline. In 1421 it is noted that the religious order of Canons were left to wander and beg for food, such was the poor state of the priory. After the suppression of the priory, the site was held by Sir Edward Butler, and then his son in 1567. The priory church, with its east to west orientation, was built from limestone. Presently, the western end no longer survives. The southern side of the church led to a sacristy. In the north wall there is a two-light ogee-headed window. The north chapel, an extension onto the north wall, was built by the Mac Giolla Phádraig family in the 15^th/16^th century, and is known today as the Kilpatrick chapel. The effigial tomb within shows a knight and lady in high relief. The Latin inscription is translated as: ‘Here lie the former good lords of Ossory John Mac Gilla Patrick and Lord Brian his son. Upon whose souls may God have mercy. Here lies Katherine Molloy, mother of Brian the erector of this tomb’. The sides of the tomb show decorated tracery, lierne vaulting and foliate quatrefoils. The tomb was carved by Rory Tunney, who’s tomb carvings can also been seen at Jerpoint Abbey. A grave-slab dated to the 13^th/14^th century is nearby, and has, in raised relief, a four-armed trefoil-headed cross. The priory church was in use for Protestant service from the mid-16^th century until the mid-18^th century. The end of the priory church was in 1780, when its roof collapsed.

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