School in Aghmacart

Described by Carrigan as 'About 100 yards north-east of the graveyard (LA034-019005-), at the opposite side of the road to Cullahill, there is a small fertile field called the "Infirmary Field"; this is said to have been the site of the Priory Infirmary. In very dry summers, the foundations of houses may be distinctly traced here, beneath the surface. Tradition states that here, too, were a church-perhaps the first church ever built in Aghmacart-and a churchyard' (Carrigan 1905, vol. 2, 239). This field is currently owned by a Mr Joe White and is the site of the medieval medical school of Aghmacart which was run by the O'Connors until the early 1600's when it was abandoned. The O'Connor's were hereditary physicians to the Fitzpatrick family who were Lords of Upper Ossory. An early sixteenth century medical manuscript from this school is in the possession of the Royal Irish Academy, Dublin. At this medical college students from Ireland and Europe were educated, the National Library of Scotland has in its ownership a manuscript from one of the scottish students who attended the medical college at Aghmacart. The medical school would have been associated with the nearby Augustinian Priory of Aghmacart (LA034-019003-). Recent site inspection carried out by Dr Elizabeth Fitzpatrick of NUIG in 2010 identified the presence of a 'low relief bank/wall footing' in the field in the field known locally as the 'Infirmary Field' (LA034-019012) (Fenwick 2010, 1). In December 2010 Joe Fenwick of NUIG carried out an electrical resistance survey within this field in the hope of identifying sub-surface features (Fenwick 2010, 1). The geophysical survey identified the presence of wall footings of a building or buildings just below the top sod in the NW corner of the field known locally as the 'infirmary field' (Fenwick 2010). The survey was unable to identify the full extent and limit of these wall footings within the field. It is likely that these wall footings belong to the foundations of the buildings recorded by Carrigan in 1905. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload/revision: 26 January 2010 Fenwick, J. 2010 'A Report on the geophysical survey at the possible site of the Ui Chonchubhair medical school (SMR : LA034-019012) at Aghmacart, Culahill, Co. Laois'. Unpublished report funded by the Heritage Council, Consent Number 10R44. In this report the wrong SMR number for the monument is listed as LA0934:019005 which is the SMR number of the graveyard enclosing Aghmacart priory.