Athenry Priory
East of the Clarin, inside the line of the old walls, the Dominican priory that Meyler de Bermingham founded in 1241 stands open to the sky. Kings paid for it: the King of Connacht built the refectory, the King of Uí Fiachrach Aidhne the dormitory, the lord of Uí Maine the chapter house. It was burned, repaired with papal indulgences, dissolved and burned again, and what is left is a National Monument.
Checked against the source on 2026-09-19.
Andreas F. Borchert, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Athenry Castle on the 3D model; tap a pin for its page and directions.
Founded by kings and lords
De Bermingham gave the land, and a provincial chapter of the order met here as early as 1242. Between 1241 and 1242 Feidlim Ua Conchobair, King of Connacht, built the refectory; Owen Ó hEidhin, King of Uí Fiachrach Aidhne, the dormitory; and Conchobar Ó Cellaigh of Uí Maine the chapter house. Flann Mac Flainn, Archbishop of Tuam, added a house for scholars in the 1250s. In 1324 William Liath de Burgh left money to enlarge church and priory, work finished by 1345, and in 1408 Joanna de Ruffur paid for a new east window and windows in the choir.
Fire, dissolution and after
The priory burned in 1423, and Popes Martin V and Eugene IV granted indulgences to those who helped rebuild it. In 1451 the friars built a chapel across the river at Carrowardahrah on land from Ulick Ruadh Burke. The house was dissolved in 1574 and burned during the rising of William, son of the Earl. Dominicans kept a connection for another century: Dominic Burke returned as prior in 1642 and became Bishop of Elphin, and Thomas Burke, who had been prior of San Sisto in Rome, was prior here from 1687 to 1698.
What stands
The remains are the nave, the chancel, a northern aisle and transept, and tombs from the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries. The tall lancet windows of the chancel are probably thirteenth century; the rest is fourteenth. The priory is a short walk from the castle and the square, and the model on this page pins all three.
Questions people ask
When was Athenry Priory founded?
Why is Athenry Priory a ruin?
What is there to see at Athenry Priory?
Written from Wikipedia, "Athenry Abbey" (CC BY-SA 4.0), read on 2026-09-19, and from the OpenStreetMap places on the model. Nothing has been added from memory; follow the source for its footnotes.