Religious house - Dominican friars

The National Monuments Service's description

At the N edge of Longford town (LF013-026----) within a graveyard (LF013-026002-). Established c. 1400 by the O'Farrells and dedicated to St Bridget (McNamee 1940b, 39; McNamee 1951, 8, 11-13; Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 227). Following a fire in 1429 alms were requested for the 'restoration and completion of the Friars Preachers' House of St. Bridget' (Cal. papal letters 1909, vol. 8, 94). Granted to Richard Stayne in 1566, to Nicholas Malby in 1579 (Nicholls 1994, vol. 2, 95, 492) and to Francis Annesley in 1615 (Cal. pat. rolls Ire., Jas I, 287). Depicted on an early 17th-century map of Longford barony as a small rectangular church, named 'Longford Abbey', standing near the bank of the Camlin River (BL, Cotton MS Augustus I.ii.24). In the late 17th century it was stated that 'there was a Priory of the Order of St. Dominick in this towne, now the Church said to be founded by Cornelius or Concober O'Fferrall' (Downing 1932, 21). McNamee (1954, 213) recorded that the Dominicans survived in Longford up until the mid-18th century and suggested that St John's Church (C of I) was built on the site of the priory. This church was the parish church of the 17th-century borough and while the present building appears to be modern, according to the local caretaker two walls of the priory were incorporated into it (Bradley 1985, 37). Wall foundations, probably also associated with the priory, were discovered to the N of the church when graves were being dug (ibid.). (Moore 2007, No. 26)

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 4 June 2013

References

Nicholls, K.W. (ed.) 1994 The Irish fiants of the Tudor sovereigns during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Philip & Mary, and Elizabeth I, 4 vols. Dublin. Éamonn de Búrca for Edmund Burke Publisher.

McNamee, J.J. 1951 Ardacha Dominicana. Journal of the Ardagh and Clonmacnoise Archaeological Society 2, 5-27.

McNamee, J.J. 1940 Archdall on monastic foundations in the diocese of Ardagh. Journal of the Ardagh and Clonmacnoise Archaeological Society 2, 33-44.

McNamee, J.J. 1954 History of the diocese of Ardagh. Dublin. Browne and Nolan.

Bradley, J., Halpin, A. and King, H. 1985 Urban archaeological survey - county Longford. Unpublished report commissioned by the Office of Public Works, Dublin.

Moore, S. 2007 Archaeological monuments in County Longford. Longford. Longford County Council.

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

British Library, Cotton Manuscripts, Augustus I. Charts of the baronies of Granard, Rathcline, Longford, Ardagh, Shrule and Moydow, County Longford. London. (microfilm, NLI p. 1364)

Cal. pat. rolls Ire., Jas I - Irish patent rolls of James I: facsimile of the Irish record commissioners' calendar prepared prior to 1830, with foreword by M.C. Griffith (Irish Manuscripts Commission, Dublin, 1966)

Cal. papal letters - Calendar of entries in the papal registers relating to Great Britain and Ireland: papal letters, 1198-1484 [etc.] (London, 1893-)