Religious house - Augustinian friars

The National Monuments Service's description

Augustinian priory
Situated on a slight rise of ground in undulating countryside in the centre of Toomevara village with church ruins (TN022-070001-) 70m to the N and R.C. Chapel immediately to S. The poorly preserved remains of an Augustinian priory dedicated to St Mary which was founded some time after 1140 (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 155) possibly on the site of an earlier monastic centre dedicated to St Donain. A cross-inscribed slab (TN022-070004-), now lost, was recovered from the vicinity of the abbey (Gleeson 1951-2, 133). The priory was a daughter-house of Monaincha (TN018-001001-) (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 155) and appears to have been strongly associated with the ruling O'Meara dynasty. In 1450 the warden pleaded that, on account of poverty, the value being under 16 marks he and his convent could not be decently maintained, nor repair the cloister and other buildings, most of which had been burnt down during wars (ibid., 195). Donogh O'Meara was building a castle here in 1541 (Gleeson 1951-2, 133). In 1597 Miler mac Grath was granted the 'site, circuit and precint of the late priory of Thome' with a 'butt of a ruined castle with certain ruined chambers thatched' (ibid., 133). At the dissolution the property of the priory of Toomevara is listed as 'one castle, wall and other buildings on the site' (Gleeson and Leask 1938, 213).
The present remains consist of a long rectangular building (int. dims. 6.4m N-S; 21m E-W approx.; wall T 1.15m) of which the E end is destroyed, built with roughly coursed limestone and sandstone rubble with base-batter visible. The main doorway located off-centre to the W on the S wall, consists of a pointed limestone doorway with hood-moulding of fifteenth/sixteenth-century date. The inner arch of the doorway is set into a block of protruding masonry like an inner porch which projects into the church. The E end of the S wall appears to be a later insertion and there is evidence of an original doorway blocked up by later masonry to the E of the present doorway. The N wall has a possible destroyed doorway off-centre to the W and there is an ivy-clad window at the W end. The W gable has a destroyed window also covered in ivy with a bellcote surmounting the apex. In the centre of the N wall is a single-light sandstone window with moulded jambs and floral decorated spandrels, the head of which is obscured by ivy. A seventeenth-century wall plaque (TN022-070005-) sits off-centre to the E on the inner face of the S wall. The Latin inscription on the limestone plaque is provided by Gleeson (1982, 469), who also gives the translation as 'While the renowned offspring of O'Meara reposes in this tomb. To whom O Traveller happily open Heaven by thy prayer. To William. To Ellen Bourke open heaven. By the merits of his blood he made possible that path. He snatched thrones from earth. Let this marble be a witness to thee O reader, 1664 henceforth from Evil'. Architectural fragments from the church are inserted as possible headstones in the surrounding graveyard. There is a possible cloister area to the N of the abbey and the poorly preserved remains of a rectangular building (TN022-070001-) also to the N may be part of the abbey complex. A late fifteenth-century effigial tomb (TN022-070006-) described by Hunt (1974, vol. 1, 94, 96, 231) lies outside the S wall at the E end of the church. The early medieval abbey was probably rebuilt and converted into a parish church in the late medieval period.

To see a 3D model of the S doorway, visit; https://skfb.ly/oxJsA

To see a 3D model of the N window, visit; https://skfb.ly/oxNSo

The above description is derived from 'The Archaeological Inventory of County Tipperary. Vol. 1 - North Tipperary' compiled by Jean Farrelly and Caimin O'Brien (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2002). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Revised by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of revised upload: 12 September 2022

References

Gleeson, D.F. 1951-2 Churches in the deanery of Ormond. North Munster Antiquarian Journal 6, 96-107, 130-35.

Gleeson, D.F. and Leask, H.G. 1938 The priory of St. John at Nenagh. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 69, 201-18.

Gleeson, Rev. J. 1915 (Reprint 1982, 2 vols. with intro. and biblio. by George Cunningham) History of the Ely O'Carroll territory or Ancient Ormond. Kilkenny. Roberts Books.

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

Hunt, J. 1974 Irish medieval figure sculpture 1200-1600, 2 vols. Dublin. Irish University Press.