About
The abbey is located in the centre of Nenagh, not far from the castle, and can be accessed from Friar St, Abbey St or Martyr's Rd.
Around Nenagh the Franciscan Friary is more commonly known by as 'the abbey' and that's what I have always called it. It is a very important building to the town and has influenced surrounding street names such as Friar Street or Abbey Street and also surrounding businesses like Friary Iron Works, the Abbey Court Hotel, Abbey furniture or Abbey Machinery as well as many others. Abbey Machinery is Ireland's longest established manufacturer of agricultural machinery and is also one of the largest in Ireland today. The Cavanagh family started the very successful foundry business in Abbey Lane (now Abbey St) over 110 years ago. Every Easter Morning dawn mass takes place at the abbey during sunrise. Hundreds of people attend the mass which begins in darkness and ends in light with the choirs of birds singing in the background. The grounds of the Abbey are now used, as is the case elsewhere with other abbeys, as a burial ground, and the earliest inscribed headstone, that of Mrs. Frances Minchin, dates from 1696. As I mentioned on the homepage, my Grandparents and other members of the Geaney family are buried here which is why the building is of significant interest and value to me. |
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History
The Franciscan friary was founded by the Bishop of Killaloe, Donal O’Kennedy, in 1250AD. The O'Kennedy family were Irish neighbours of Theobald Fitzwalter, in the 13th Century. This was an unusual occurance because at that period Fitzwalter was the lord of the area, and it was traditionally Norman settlers that invited religious orders into their territories. It was here that the Annals of Nenagh were compiled during the period 1336 to 1528 and copies of which still exist today and can be seen in Trinity College Dublin.
Nenagh became the chief house for the Irish friars and a provincial synod was held there in 1344. The O’Carroll’s are believed to have burned the town of Nenagh, including the friary, in 1548. The friars seem to have lived on until about 1587, after which no effort was made to set up a residence until 1632, when the Observants came. The friars were expelled and the friary suppressed during Cromwell’s incursions into Ireland, but they are believed to have soon returned. A community was still in residence in the early eighteenth century, but had broken up by 1766. There were still friars working as parish clergy in the area and Fr. Patrick Harty died there in 1817 as a quasi-curate. He was the last Franciscan of Nenagh.
Nenagh became the chief house for the Irish friars and a provincial synod was held there in 1344. The O’Carroll’s are believed to have burned the town of Nenagh, including the friary, in 1548. The friars seem to have lived on until about 1587, after which no effort was made to set up a residence until 1632, when the Observants came. The friars were expelled and the friary suppressed during Cromwell’s incursions into Ireland, but they are believed to have soon returned. A community was still in residence in the early eighteenth century, but had broken up by 1766. There were still friars working as parish clergy in the area and Fr. Patrick Harty died there in 1817 as a quasi-curate. He was the last Franciscan of Nenagh.