Abbey — Grangefertagh

On a natural rise in gently undulating terrain with marshy flood plain of the River Goul to the N and W. Located on a former early medieval monastery probably founded by St Ciarán of Sir in the 6th century (Harbison 1992, 198). A round tower (KK008-047004-) stands 20m to the SW of the church. According to Gwynn and Hadcock (1988, 176) this priory was founded in the 13th century by the Blanchfield family for the Canons Regular of St Augustine [Monasticum Hibernicum 1722] and ‘the prior and canons are mentioned in 1251: [Calandar of Documents relating to Ireland]. In 1396 the prior held the churchs of Ferikeragh and Donaghmore: [Monasticon Hibernicum 1786]. In 1421 the priory of Fertacheraeacli was so destroyed and exposed to ruin by wars and other disasters that the religious had to wander and beg for food, and one canon was transferred to Clonfert; in 1455 the priory was stated to be very poor, but it was conventual and proper hospitality was maintained: [Calandar of Papal Registers]. In 1455 Thady Megirid, a canon of Inchmacnerin, had been appointed to Fertagh whre he had repaired the buildings and been properly elected prior, but Thady Ocrinam, a canon of Aghmacart, had intruded himself: ibid. The priory was suppressed in 1540: Carrigan. On 6 Jan. 1541 the jurors found that the priory ch[urch] was parochial and the possessions included 60 acres, three cottages and two rectories (Fertagh and Donaghmore), val. £13 3s. 8d. gross, £10 3s. 8d. net; Robert Sortall (presumably the last prior) was granted a pension of 66s. 8d., and Nicholas Cowlye was then occupier: [Extents of Irish Monastic Possessions 1540-41]. In 1566 the site was held by Sir Edw. Butler, reverting in 1566-7 to James Butler, Jr., having then five cottages, over 100 acres, etc., and the rectory, rent £12 3s. 3d.: [Monasticon Hibericum 1786 and Calendar of Patent Rolls I, 503]. According to Carrigan (1905, vol. 2, 293), ‘the church of Fertagh was occasionally used for Protestant service from the reign of Queen Elizabeth till about 1731, when, having been repaired, it became the Protestant church of the district. In consequence of the collapse of the roof, about 1780, it had to be finally abandoned. Later on it was robbed of its ornamental door and tracery windows. For many years it has served as a ball-alley’. The church, aligned E-W, is built of roughly coursed limestone rubble. The N and S walls (original wall H 4.6m with additional courses of c. 1.5m added for the ball alley) survive for a length of 17m, the western end of the church and the W gable do not survive, though there are the remains of wall-footings 10.8m W of the upstanding remains suggesting ext. dims. L 27.8m; Wth 8.74m. Also the W end of the church is raised where the masonry of the collapsed W gable has become grassed over. Only the NE angle of the E gable is original (L c. 3m), the remaining upstanding wall has been rebuilt. The entire internal walling of the church has been obscured by a concrete render to facilitate its use as a hand-ball alley. Externally much of the walls are obscured by heavy ivy growth. According to Carrigan (1905, vol. 2, 292), in the S wall of the church, ‘there is a closed-up doorway which led from the Church to a small square building, evidently a sacristy, the foundations of which remain outside, on a level with the churchyard’. The E (wall T 0.83m) and W (wall T 1.05m) foundations of this building (int. Wth 3.25m; surviving L 6.55m) are still evident though the S wall is not visible at ground level. W of the sacristy, in the S wall of the church, Carrigain (ibid.) describes what was probably a window as, ‘a built-up archway, high, wide and sharp-pointed, and gradually narrowing at the back; but, as the external surface of the wall is damaged here, it is impossible to say whether it served for a window or for a statue-niche’. Externally there is a two-light ogee-headed window with hood-moulding at the surviving W end of the N wall, the mullion is missing, it is decorated with floral motifs in the spandrels. Immediately W of this there is evidence of a doorway, now blocked up, only the W chamfered jambs of which survive (H 0.95m). Another doorway, in the centre of the doorway, gave access to the N chapel, also known as the Kilpatrick chapel, this was visible as a blocked-up doorway (Carrigan 1905, vol. 2, 292), however, now only the W side of this doorway is visible as a straight joint on the external face of the wall. Carrigan (1905, vol. 2, 292-3) also describes a breach at the E end of the N wall where a window (KK008-152002-) was located before being moved to the RC church in Johnstown in 1832. The W doorway (KK008-153----) and the E window (KK008-153001-) were removed in 1799 and reconstructed in the C of I church in Johnstown (ibid.). The N chapel (int. dims. 10.1m N-S; 6.86m E-W; E wall T 0.82m; N wall T 1.03m) abuts the N wall of the church. According to Carrigan, this chapel was built by the MacGillapatrick/ Kilpatrick family in the 15th or early 16th century (ibid.). The walls are obscured by heavy ivy growth, however, the E splay of a window embrasure survives in the N wall, though a modern doorway has been inserted. The embrasure of a two-light ogee-headed window is evident towards the N end of the E wall (ibid.). Carrigan notes that Archdall referred to a crucifixion plaque (KK008-152003-) in the E wall, since removed to the RC church in Johnstown. This plaque was probably located in an area of broken out masonry in this wall which has a horizontal moulding across the top. Within the chapel there is an effigial tomb (KK008-047007-) and a 13th/14th-century graveslab (KK008-047013-). (National Monument no. 74) Compiled by: Jean Farrelly Date of upload: 10 January 2017