Abbey — Ardnacrany North

Carmelite friary founded c. 1291 by Robert Dillon, Lord of Drumrany (Gwynn & Hadcock 1970, 286). In 1540 the friary consisted of 'a small church with two small houses adjacent and a carucate of land which had come into the king's hands through the dissolution by the prior and convent of the late house of Carmelites' (ibid., 286-7). In this year ‘Moryhyrtagh O Kenny, travelling serjeant or bailiff in the Annale, similiarly sworn, states that there is in Athnecrane [Ardnacrany] in co. Westmeath a small (parva) church with two small (exiguis) houses adjacent, and a carucate of land, which have come into the king’s hands through the dissolution by the prior and convent of the late house of Carmelite friar; value 26s. 8d.’ (White 1943, 283). In 1546 the lands of the friary were granted to Robert Dillon (Hadcock 1970, 287). This site consists today of post-medieval graveyard (WM016-019001-) enclosed by a stone wall with entrance gate and stile on W side. The S wall of the graveyard incorporates the S wall of the Carmelite friary church with a seventeenth century graveslab (WM016-019002-) and a 17th century memorial stone (WM016-019004-) lying aginst the N face of this section of friary wall. The friary church wall forms part of the S boundary wall of the graveyard, a large part of this boundary wall formed the S wall of the medieval friary church building. There is no straight joint visible on the S graveyard boundary wall to indicate where the graveyard wall joined onto the medieval friary wall. A tall section of the friary wall (H 3.75m; wall T 1m) remains upstanding (L 6.95m) located off centre to E on S side of graveyard. At the E end of this section of friary wall are the remains of the W splay of a window embrasure. The remains of two limestone concave chamfered jambs with glazing groove and socket holes are visible. This window is located 3.25m W of the E corner of graveyard wall. The graveyard wall narrows in thickness on either side of this upstanding section of friary wall but appears to be part of the original friary wall as no straight joint is visible on external face and there is no change in masonry style which suggests the the friary wall was lowered and quarried way on the inner face when the graveyard boundary was being constructed in the post medieval period. A wall plaque on the N face of this wall with an inscription which reads as following: 'Carmelite Monastery 1350-1650 Returned 1735 Re Established in Moate 1770 Commemorated in 1985'. The grass covered footings of a wall can be seen running off the SE angle of the graveyard boundary wall. This earthen bank may be the remains of the S wall of the friary church which continued on beyond the post medieval graveyard boundary wall. The remains of a subcircular earthen bank mainly reduced to a scarp which is best visible from S to W has been identified as a possible ecclesiastical enclosure (WM016-019003-) very probably of Early Christian date (Swan 1988,19). However this enclosing bank appears to be the remains of the levelled monastic precinct wall of the Carmelite friary. Inside this enclosure are low grass covered mounds and earthworks which appear to be related to the Carmelite friary. A low grass covered platform with stone protruding from the surface located on the W side of the friary could be the remains of an entrance gate or gatehouse of the monastery. A large mound to the NNE represents the remains of a post-medieval lime-kiln which is depicted on the 1837 ed. OS 6-inch map and on the revised 1910 ed. OS 25-inch map. To the E of the friary in an area of wet unreclaimed land are the remains of an L-shaped earthen bank partially covered in scrub. The area inside the L-shaped earthwork is wet marshy land which may suggest that this earthwork could be the remains of a fish-pond or mill-pond associated with the monastery. The field enclosing the graveyard contains numerous well preserved earthworks which appear to be related to the Carmelite friary. In 1983 the site was recorded as consisting of, 'a rectangular graveyard (WM016-019001-) enclosed by a stone wall, situated near the centre of a possible circular enclosure (WM016-019003-). The enclosing element of the circular enclosure is a bank of earth & stone. This is best preserved in an arc from SE-S-SW, where it is c. 1m high. The S part of the arc forms a section of the modern E-W field fence. The arc of the circuit continues as a low bank from SW-W where it fades out. This bank is c. 0.5m high. On the E side the enclosing bank continues to curve SE-E-NE. It merges with another field fence at NE. On E side the bank is covered by bushes & trees . Outside it to E is a small, very marshy field. On N side the enclosing bank is part of an E-W field fence. The bank is not present on NW side, where the ground is rough with reeds and rushes and obviously wet in winter time. The interior of the enclosure is higher than the surrounding fields & is dry. The enclosure measures 125m N-S x 87m E-W. The rectangular graveyard measures 28m E-W x 21m N-S. From the SE corner a bank, with some wall foundations extends 27m E. Here there are traces of a further bank running N-S. In this area to N of the graveyard, within the possible circular enclosure there are a number of humps and hollows. Prominent among these are two parallel banks, suggesting a sunken trackway running NE-SW. To the W of these banks there is a circular mound of stone & earth. This mound is c. 1m high on S side, on NW side there are traces of wall foundations extending out from this mound' (SMR File 30/06/1983). Memorials inside graveyard have been recorded and photographed and are now listed on the Historic Graves website at http://historicgraves.com/graveyard/ardnacrany-north/wm-acny, accessed 9 October 2014. See attached pdf showing plan of graveyard with location of church wall outlined, taken from Historic Graves website at the above address. Compiled and revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revision: 15 October 2014