Banada Abbey — Banada

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. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Sligo' compiled by Ursula Egan, Elizabeth Byrne, Mary Sleeman with Sheila Ronan and Connie Murphy (Dublin Stationery Office, 2005). Date of upload: 18 January 2008