Overview
The bell tower has been a landmark on the Galway–Tuam road for the better part of five hundred years, and it is the reason to stop. Claregalway Friary (also called Claregalway Abbey) stands on the banks of the River Clare just off the N17, a ruined medieval Franciscan house that is free to walk into, unstaffed, and open through daylight hours. Give it twenty minutes: the slim 15th-century tower and the great traceried east window are the two things worth crossing the car park for. It is a national monument in the care of the Office of Public Works.
A turbulent history
The friary was founded around 1240 by John de Cogan I, an Anglo-Norman knight at the sharp end of the conquest of Connacht, and by 1252 the community had a licence for a weekly market and an annual fair – the making of Claregalway as a local hub. The first church was a plain nave and chancel; the north transept, the four-bay aisle and the three-storey bell tower all came later, in the 15th century, when the order was at its wealthiest. Patronage passed down the generations from the de Cogans to the O’Flahertys and later the Earls of Clanricarde.
For a small rural house it produced a remarkable run of scholars: the hagiographer John Colgan, the historian and poet Bonaventure O’Hussey, and Anthony Raymond O’Flaherty, an astronomer and mathematician.
The Reformation ended the good years. In July 1538 Lord Leonard Gray’s forces sacked the site. Under Elizabeth I the abbey was granted to Sir Richard de Burgo, and by 1589 Sir Richard Bingham had turned the buildings into a barracks and put the friars out. The Franciscans crept back in the early 17th century but never recovered – down to two monks by 1838, and gone entirely in November 1847. In 1892 Lord Clanmorris handed the ruins to the Commissioner of Public Works, which is why they still stand.
What to look for
- The bell tower: At 24 metres, the tallest thing for miles. Each of its storeys has arched windows and corbels, and it is finished with a battlemented parapet and corner pinnacles.
- The east window: A large 15th-century traceried window fills the east wall. The stained glass – Nativity, Crucifixion, Resurrection – is long gone, but the stone tracery is intact and worth standing under.
- Tombs: In the chancel, a canopied tomb niche of the 1400s built for the de Burgos, with a later 1646 plaque bearing the Burke arms. Near it lies the 18th-century tombstone of James Baccagh Coll – ‘Lame James Coyle’ – dated 1782.
- The cloister: South of the church, the outlines of the cloister and the domestic buildings survive, with traces of fireplaces, vaulting and a water-mill that once ground the community’s grain.
Two churchmen are buried here: Muiris Ó Fithcheallaigh, Archbishop of Tuam (d. c.1513), and Tomás Ó Maolalaidh, Bishop of Clonmacnoise and later Archbishop of Tuam. Recent excavations at the site turned up medieval green-glazed imported pottery, floor-tile fragments and worked bone.
The riverside walk
The abbey sits on a gentle stretch of the River Clare, and a flat riverside path lets you take in the ruin from a few angles and the river besides. It is an easy, all-ages stroll; stay on the marked path.
Practical information
Opening and admission Open year-round in daylight hours, free, and unstaffed. This is an unguided site, so mind your footing and leave it as you found it.
Accessibility The ground is uneven – exposed stone, steps, grass – with no wheelchair-friendly route. Wear sturdy shoes.
Getting there and parking The abbey is signposted off the N17 between Galway City and Tuam, with a large car park on site. One word of caution: car break-ins have been reported at roadside parking near the cemetery, so use the car park and leave nothing on show. Bus Éireann runs from Galway City to Claregalway, about 20 minutes; check timetables, as weekend services vary.
Nearby A short walk brings you to Claregalway Castle, a restored 15th-century tower house open daily from June to September, whose grounds host the Galway Garden Festival in early July. Aughnanure Castle is a well-preserved O’Flaherty stronghold about 23 km away, and Galway City is roughly 15 km south.
Come in the low, raking light of early morning or late afternoon, when the shadows pick out the stonework and the tower stands hardest against the sky.