Sligo Abbey

Sligo Abbey was founded around 1253 by Maurice FitzGerald as a Dominican friary. It burned accidentally in 1414 and was rebuilt, then sacked in 1641 during the rising, after which it was abandoned. What survives is substantial for a town-centre ruin: the church with its choir and nave, a fifteenth-century tower over the crossing, and a cloister with three sides of arcading intact, some of the best-preserved cloister carving in Ireland. The stone high altar in the choir is the only carved fifteenth-century high altar surviving in any Irish monastic church - almost all others were destroyed at the Reformation. There are also good sixteenth and seventeenth-century wall monuments, including the O'Craian tomb. Bram Stoker's mother came from Sligo and the abbey appears in Dracula. It is a compact site in the middle of the town with seasonal staffing.

History

The Dominican convent was founded in 1253 and built in the Romanesque style with later additions, and extensive ruins of its church and cloister remain; the site is now managed by the Office of Public Works and opens seasonally (Wikipedia, Sligo Abbey).

What you'll find

• The high altar - the only carved fifteenth-century example left in Ireland.
• The cloister - three sides of arcading, unusually well preserved.
• The crossing tower - fifteenth-century, over the church.
• The wall monuments - sixteenth and seventeenth-century carved tombs.

When to go

April to September, when the site is staffed; it closes for the winter. An hour covers it. It is in the town centre, so easy to combine with other stops.

Good to know

Seasonal opening only - closed for much of the year. Roofless throughout, so wet weather makes for a poor visit. Compact; an hour is enough.

Nearby

Sligo town centre and the Yeats Building are close; Drumcliffe is north.

Key facts