Augustinian Priory, Dungarvan

Situated on the E side of the Colligan estuary c. 400m from Dungarvan castle (WA031-040001-). An Augustinian abbey was founded c. 1290 by Thomas Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald. By the Suppression in 1541 it served as a parish church and it was in ruins by 1654.

The remains consist of the chancel and crossing-tower within a subrectangular graveyard (dims. c. 50-80m E-W; c. 60m NE-SW) defined by a masonry wall, with the sea on the E side. The tower is incorporated into the modern St Augustine's RC church which is built on the site of the N transept. The chancel (int. dims. 13.5m E-W; 6.25m N-S) survives complete with a large window in the E gable and three pointed windows in the S wall, all of which are destroyed. There are numerous putlog holes in the walls. A small rectangular window survives above the E window, with a round-arched doorway in the N wall and traces of a triple sedilia in the S wall. The graveslab of Donald McGrath is set in the ground in this doorway.

The four-storey tower at the transept is complete (H c. 16m) with an external string course over the second floor. There is a groin vault over the ground floor and the remains of newel stairs are visible at the NW angle of the first floor. Three lights survive at second-floor level and the third level, or belfry stage, has tall single-light, ogee-headed opes in the N and E walls, with similar double opes in the S and W walls.

Some architectural fragments (WA031-040008-) in the graveyard indicated that it had a cloister arcade. The 15th century graveslab of Donald McGrath (WA031-040029-) is set in the ground in the chancel doorway, while an armorial plaque (WA031-040030-) and stone head (WA031-040031-) are set in the outer face of the W wall of the modern church. (Bradley et al. 1989, vol. 1, 34-40)

Bradley, J., Halpin, A. and King, H. (1989) Urban archaeology Survey of Waterford City and County, 2 vols. Unpublished report commissioned by the Office of Public Works.