Franciscan Abbey

The foundation and growth of Franciscan Abbey are tied to its recorded community, patrons and rebuilding. It is not to be confused with two other monastic structures in the village: the Augustinian Adare Friary and the Trinitarian Adare Abbey. Also known as the church of St Michael Archangel of the Friars Minor, the friary was founded in 1464 by Thomas FitzGerald, 7th Earl of Kildare and his wife Johanna.

The named people and dated events give Franciscan Abbey its human meaning. Today, the complex consists of largely intact ruins on the grounds of Adare Manor Golf Club, in the vicinity of Adare Manor. Like many medieval monasteries, the buildings include a chapel, refectory, and cloister, as well as arcosolia and two large gothic windows.

Closure, attack, reuse and repair explain why only the present fabric of Franciscan Abbey survives. The site contains numerous burials, with some gravestones from the eighteenth century still visible. It was attacked and burned by parliamentary forces in 1646.

Franciscan Abbey matters because its exact story preserves evidence for a wider change in Limerick, not merely because the name sounds historic. The Adare Franciscan Friary was a medieval monastery in Adare, County Limerick, Ireland.