Ennis Friary

Ennis Friary was founded around 1240 by the O'Briens, kings of Thomond, and became a major centre of learning - at its height in the fifteenth century it is said to have had hundreds of students. Its distinction now is sculpture. The MacMahon tomb, carved around 1470 and later reassembled into the Creagh tomb, carries a series of alabaster-like limestone panels showing the Passion in sequence - the betrayal, the flagellation, the entombment, the resurrection with soldiers asleep - executed with a detail and confidence rare in Irish medieval carving. There is also a celebrated Saint Francis figure showing the stigmata, and an Ecce Homo. Much of the church, the tower and the cloister survive. The friars were expelled at the dissolution but returned repeatedly, and the site remained in use into the nineteenth century. It stands in the middle of a busy county town.

History

The friary was established in the middle of the 13th century by the O'Brien dynasty: Donnchadh Cairbreach Ó Briain, son of Domnall Mór, became King of Thomond after a bloody feud with his brother and is said to have built a friary on an island in the River Fergus in penance (Wikipedia, Ennis Friary).

What to look for

• The MacMahon Passion panels - fifteenth-century carving of exceptional quality.
• The Saint Francis figure - showing the stigmata, among the best-known Irish examples.
• The tower and cloister - substantial surviving fabric in the town centre.
• The O'Brien foundation - a friary and school of the kings of Thomond.

When to go

April to September, when the site is staffed; it closes for the winter. An hour covers it. Ennis is a good base for the wider Clare sites.

Things to know

Seasonal opening only. The carvings are the reason to come and are indoors, but the rest of the site is roofless. Parking in central Ennis is difficult; walk in from a car park.

Nearby

Ennis town centre is around it; Quin Abbey and Dysert O'Dea are a short drive.

Key facts