Religious house - Augustinian canons

The National Monuments Service's description

On the lakeshore 150m SSW of the 'Nunnery' (GA069-001005-). Founded sometime after 1195 when it was granted to the Canons Regular of St Augustine (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 156-7). A Nat. Mon., the present remains consist of a restored nave (E-W; L 26.5m) chancel (L 5.6m, Wth 4.5m) church 'of at least three periods' (Killanin and Duignan 1967, 57). The earliest section is the chancel which is of Transitional-date. It contains two finely cut opposing round-headed windows in its side-walls, the S example having Romanesque decoration on its arch terminals. Its E gable contains a robbed window which some authorities believe to be the original location of the Romanesque window presently in the 'cathedral' (GA069-001011-). Later architectural features include a pointed arch doorway in N wall of nave, to W of which is a trefoil-headed window, and a rectangular window in W gable. The cloister and domestic buildings lie to S but only the foundations of the former and fragmentary remains of the latter survive. The E range was two storeys high with the ground floor divided into five rooms, two of which have doorways leading to the cloister. The first floor is lit by series of opposing rectangular windows. The S range comprises a large featureless structure, in SW corner of which, set into a recess, are fragments of a fine Romanesque chancel arch. A single fortress-like wall with a number of small rectangular windows is all that survives of W range. A cross-slab is associated (Higgins 1987, 336, no. 62).

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Galway Vol. II - North Galway'. Compiled by Olive Alcock, Kathy de hÓra and Paul Gosling (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1999).

Date of upload: 05 August 2010

The following images are attached:
GA069-001013-_01.jpg Overall view of monastic complex at Annaghdown
GA069-001013-_02.jpg Aerial view of abbey (GA069-001013-)