Roscommon Friary

A Dominican friary was established by Felimid O'Conor in 1253. It was burned in 1270 and struck by lightning in 1308. By 1445 it was in disrepair when an indulgence was granted to restore its fabric, and in 1578 it was granted to Sir Nicholas Malby. In 1615 the friary was granted to Francis Viscount Valentia, but it had been described as in ruins in 1612. It is situated on a slight rise in a low-lying landscape. (Gwynn and Hadcock 1980, 229)

The remains consist of a nave and chancel church (int. dims 40m E-W; 6.8m N-S) entered through a modern entrance in the W gable. There is a N aisle (int. dims 22.8m E-W; 3.3m N-S), now represented by three circular piers separating it from the nave. A N transept (int. dims 6.6m E-W; 5.4m N-S) with a three-light N window, now robbed, was added to the E end of the N aisle in the 15th century, at which time a tower was put over the chancel, of which only the bases of the S piers survive.

The E window of the chancel, originally of three lancets, was replaced with a five-light tracery window, now robbed, and the W window, originally of three lancets, was replaced with a four-light tracery window, now robbed. There were six lancets on the S nave wall, placed above the cloister roof, and at least four on the N chancel wall, while doorways on the S wall led to a sacristy and the cloister, of which nothing remains. Beneath the lancet windows on the inner face of the S nave wall there are six recesses (Wth 1.8m; H c. 1m; D 0.4m), one of which has a piece of painted decoration.

An effigy (RO039-055004-), said to be that of Felimid O'Conor and made c. 1290-1300, is in the niche of a 15th wall monument (RO039-055003-) with eight warriors from its chest surviving in the N chancel wall (O'Gorman 1866; Taylor 1892-4a; FitzGerald 1892-4; FitzGerald 1900; Hunt 1974, 216-18, No. 213). A fragment with two panels from another tomb (RO039-055006-) is no longer present (Hunt, 1974, 1, 217, No. 214) and the 17th century memorial of John Hynde (RO039-055011-) recorded by FitzGerald at the W end of the church (1893, 357) is also missing. A limestone graveslab (RO039-055005-) (dims 1.25m x 0.91m) of John Verdon with the date 1656 is on the ground beside the O'Conor effigy.

A sculpted stone (RO039-055009-) (Wth c. 0.44m; H c. 0.33m) with a carving of two entwined beasts is set in the coping around the O’Conor tomb (Siggins 1994), and the bases of two graveslabs (RO039-055007-; RO039-055008-) (Bradley and Dunne 1988, 104) have been re-identified recently by Garry Dempsey. One (L 0.8m; Wth 0.5m; T 0.16m) is outside the W wall of the N chancel and has a moulding on the edge and the incised double line of the stem of a cross is visible at the broken end. Another (L 0.48m; Wth 0.44m; T 0.29m) in the SE angle of the church has a moulded edge but no device on its upper surface can be detected. A fragment of what might be a graveslab is cut into a square piece (L c. 1.2m; Wth 0.32m; T 0.08-0.13m) and incorporated into the coping around the O’Conor tomb (RO039-055003-). It was recently identified by Brian Shanahan and recorded by Gary Dempsey. It has a raised band, probably from the stem of a cross, down the centre that bifurcates at one end. A raised image of what might be a cat with a small animal in its mouth overlies the stem.

Archaeological testing (98E0438) c. 120m S of the abbey (FitzPatrick 2000a; Nelis 2000) and just to its W (01E1211) (Halpin 2003) failed to produce any related archaeological evidence. Further testing (04E1565) c. 100m to the NW had similar results (Byrne 2007). Test excavations (E004027) in 2009 in the garden c. 40m to the S on foot of a geophysical survey demonstrated that the features recorded were late 19th century or later in date (Henry 2009, 2012). (Bradley and Dunne 1985, 100-04)