Religious house - Augustinian, of Arrouaise nuns

The National Monuments Service's description

An Arroasian house of nuns and canons was established as St Mary's, Ardcarn, probably in the 12th century, and the church was enlarged by Clarus Mac Mailin in 1243. By 1223 it had been annexed to the convent of Kilcreevanty, Co. Galway (Hall 2003, 79). An inquisition in 1590 describes the nunnery as a church and two houses of stone. In 1595 it was granted to a Terence O'Byrne, and in 1598 to Trinity College, Dublin. It is situated on flat dry ground at the base of the E-facing slope of Ardcarn Hill. The visible remains consist of the foundations of a mortared stone wall (L 8.67 NW-SE, Wth 0.75m, H 1.75m) within the field-system (RO006-103007-). (Weld 1832, 245-6; O'Flanigan 1931, 90-91; D'alton 1845, 93-6; Gwynne and Hadcock 1988, 312; Tonra 1998)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 24 August 2010

References

D'Alton, J. 1845 The history of Ireland: from the earliest period to the year 1245. 2 vol. Dublin, Author.

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

Tonra, H. 1998 Ardcarne. Journal of the Roscommon Historical and Archaeological Society 7, 55-7.

Weld, I. 1832 Statistical survey of the county Roscommon. Dublin, Royal Dublin Society

Hall, D. 2003 Women and the church in medieval Ireland, c. 1140-1540. Four Courts Press. Dublin.

O'Flanagan, Rev. M. (Compiler) 1931 Letters containing information relative to the antiquities of the county of Roscommon collected during the progress of the
Ordnance Survey in 1837. Bray.