One of the finest preserved medieval monasteries in Ireland
Unguided sitesAccess available during daylight hours
One of the finest preserved medieval monasteries in Ireland
Unguided sitesAccess available during daylight hours
Rosserk Friary is a state-owned free site in the care of the Office of Public Works
On the picturesque shores of the secluded Killala Bay, on the banks of the River Moy, lies one of the best preserved Franciscan monasteries in the country. The tranquillity of the friary can still be felt today.
Rosserk Friary was founded around the 1440s for the friars of the Third Order of St. Francis.
The friary was burned in 1590 by Sir Richard Bingham, Governor of Connaught, during the reign of Elizabeth I.
Designed in the late Irish Gothic style, the ruins still contain original features of the period, including the decorative double piscina (a recess containing a stone basin for washing the sacred vessels used during Mass), and a carving of a round tower on one of the pillars; likely fashioned on the tower that still survives at Killala today.
Protect our Past - Click here to read about the importance of protecting our country’s unique heritage sites
This national monument is protected in accordance with the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014
The world’s most extensive Stone Age monument
Approx. 25.4 km from Rosserk Franciscan Friary
Ireland’s oldest megalithic tombs set in a dramatic neolithic landscape
Approx. 41.5 km from Rosserk Franciscan Friary
Where friars’ prayers echo among the ruins
Approx. 45.1 km from Rosserk Franciscan Friary
A monastery located on an important pilgrimage route
Approx. 49.9 km from Rosserk Franciscan Friary
Ruins of an Augustinian Friary in the shadow of Croagh Patrick
Approx. 54.1 km from Rosserk Franciscan Friary
Magnificent ruins of the last Franciscan Friary founded in Ireland
Approx. 54.6 km from Rosserk Franciscan Friary
Unlimited access to Ireland’s past
