Banada Abbey

On the W bank of the River Moy; at the E end of Banada graveyard (SL037-068005-), directly on top of a steep slope rising from the bank of the river. Only the E end of the church of this Augustinian foundation stands though a much-greater part of the complex stood until 1897 (Harbison 2002, 92-5). The surviving structure consists of the E end of the N (int. L 7.1m) and S walls (int. L 10.15m) of the chancel and the base of the E end-wall (int. L 6.55m) (see plan Lynn 1985-6, 96). These are built of uncoursed limestone in a lime mortar; the surviving walls are heavily enveloped by ivy. The N wall is featureless save for a broken window ope. A 15th-century 'relief carving of human head with elaborate head dress' (SL037-068006-) (ibid., 98), formerly lying in the N half of the graveyard, has been built into its internal wall-face. Externally along the base of the wall is the battered face of 'coarser, random rubble masonry' which Lynn (ibid.) interpreted as the remains of a 13th-century castle (SL037-06804-). Near the E end of the S wall is a two-seater sedilia. The front elevation (see sketch in Lynn 1985-6, 96) consists of two round arches rising from a central twisted column and a pilaster at either end (pilaster to E is missing). These have plain octagonal bases and capitals. Over each is an ogee hood rising to a moulded finial, and there are stylised floral mouldings set on the shoulders of the hood. A short distance W of the sedilia is a doorway facing into the church; the ground level here is halfway up its jambs. The doorway has a two-centred pointed arch. It leads to a short mural passage which is very ruined but has an opening on its W side leading to the base of a spiral stairs. The stairs, which rises clockwise, is lit by a small slit window looking into the choir. The S wall runs a short distance further W before breaking off. Lying within the graveyard are many carved limestone blocks derived from the friary. These include the central piece of a cusped ogee-headed window light, the side of a cusped round-arched window-head, and a number of chamfered blocks which were probably window-light jambs. Also in the graveyard are two gutter-stones from the wall-walk of the church, which were reused as grave-markers. There are some further chamfered blocks (SL037-067----) in a garden 350m to the SW. A drawing of the ruin in 1779 (Harbison 2002, figs. 71 and 72) shows the that the building had a tower of 15th-century form, slim in profile and built of coursed ashlar. This Augustinian foundation was established in 1423 by Donnchadh O'Hara (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 296; Ó Muraíle 2002, 240, n. 27); the surviving architectural features confirm the 15th-century date. A bridge (SL037-068007-) over the river Moy is indicated on the Down Survey (1655-6) map of County Sligo in the vicinity of this friary.