Religious house - Dominican friars

The National Monuments Service's description

To the S of Portumna town, on or close to the site of the medieval borough (GA127-026----) and c. 200m to the SE of Portumna Castle (GA127-108----). This friary, now a National Monument, originated as a small 13th-century Cistercian chapel dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul (Harbison 1975, 98-9) and it was possibly the parish church of the borough (Bradley and Dunne 1992, 159, 161-3). Having apparently been abandoned, it was granted to the Dominicans by the O'Maddens sometime before 1414. Finally, it was converted for use as a Protestant church in the 18th century (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 228). The church (34.75m E-W; 6.6m N-S) comprises a nave and chancel separated by a tower (now gone). The sacristy is off its NE corner. A transept (7.5m N-S; 6.5m E-W) extends off the S side of the nave and there may have been a corresponding N transept (7m N-S; 6.5m E-W) that was subsequently incorporated into the W range of the domestic buildings. The N range includes the refectory. The W and N sides of the cloister arcade have been reconstructed. The chancel appears to incorporate part of the original Cistercian church: the two opposing pointed arch, single-light windows in its side-walls are of 13th-century date (ibid.). These apart, the bulk of the fabric is of 15-century date, including the very fine traceried windows in the E gable of the chancel (four light) and the S wall of the transept (three light), the W doorway (originally with porch, now gone), and the piscina in the S wall of the chancel (Leask 1960, 128-9, 185). The sacristy has an unusual quatrefoil window and an inverted human head in relief at the base of its doorway. A number of medieval graveslabs (GA127-019001- to GA127-019010-) are visible in the chancel. (O'Flanagan 1927a, Vol. 2, 70-71; CUCAP BDL 81)

Compiled by: Olive Alcock

Date of upload: 9 September 2016

This monument was taken into Ownership under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014 - National Monument 461.

References

Harbison, P. 1975 (2nd. ed. 1992 reprint) Guide to the national monuments in the Republic of Ireland. Gill and Macmillan, Dublin.

Bradley, J. and Dunne, N. 1992b Urban archaeological survey - county Galway. Unpublished report commissioned by the Office of Public Works, Dublin.

Gwynn, A. and Hadcock, R.N. 1970 (Reprint 1988) Medieval religious houses of Ireland. Dublin. Irish Academic Press.

Leask, H.G. 1960 (Reprint 1971, 1978 and 1985) Irish churches and monastic buildings, vol. III. Medieval gothic the last phases. Dundalk. Dundalgan Press.

O'Flanagan, Rev. M. (Compiler) 1927 Letters containing information relative to the antiquities of the county of Galway collected during the progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1839. Typescript in 3 vols. Bray.