Church

The National Monuments Service's description

Immediately W of the present RC church of the Assumption (St. Mary's) on the S side of Irishtown. Following the Restoration of Charles II in 1660 the Franciscans, who had been remained in Clonmel since the Dissolution of their monastery, established a thatched chapel . The 'Mass house without the West gate' is mentioned in a letter of 1712 in which Edward Tyrell reports on R.C. activities in Clonmel (Pyke 1984, 14). It is indicated on a late 18th-century map of Clonmel (Shee and Watson 1975, 30). By 1714 the church was enlarged and the thatch replaced by slate (Pyke 1984, 14; illustration 13). The penal church, also known as St. Mary's, was described before its demolition as being 'separated from the street by a range of houses, through those a narrow lane led across the Chapel grounds to a flight of seven steps which brought one down to the door of the north transept. The chapel was T shaped and low...It ran east to west and unlike the present church made no pretentions to architecture. St. Mary's contained three galleries which were reached by stone steps on the outside of the building. It was lighted by long circular leaded windows. As the floor was seven feet below the present level, not infrequently divine service was suspended by floods from the river' (Pyke 1984, 14). Services continued up to c. 1850 when the old church was replaced by the present St. Mary's church. (Farrelly and FitzPatrick 1993, 76).

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 26 August 2011

References

Shee, E. and Watson, S. J. 1975 Clonmel: an architectural guide. Dublin. An Taisce.

Pyke, D. 1984 Parish priests and churches of St. Mary's 1320-1984. Self-published booklet.

Farrelly, J. and FitzPatrick, E. 1993 Urban archaeological survey - county Tipperary (South Riding) (2 vols.). Unpublished report commissioned by the Office of Public Works, Dublin.