Friary — Friarstown

Monument surveyed by ASI in 1976 and described as following; 'A rectangular embankment of earth and stone with the earth covered footings of a stone wall at its edge on the N and w and probably also the S. There is an external fosse with an outer bank. There is no indication of the stone wall on the E but the ground slopes down here and it is very faint on the S. The fosse and external bank are best preserved on the N and W, and are faint on the S. On the E the fosse and bank seem to be incorporated in a field fence which runs (roughly N-S) along this side of the site. This latter field fence may also incorporate a boundary bank running to the S enclosing one side of a field to the S of this site. There is what may be a hut site in the SE corner of the modern field but this is rather doubtful. Consisting of a roughly rectangular depression with some evidence of stone in the sides. There are two causeways across the fosse, one on the W and the other on the S and both may be original entrances. A later field bank running E-W begins at the outer edge of the W causeway and runs to the W for a short distance. The interior is fairly level in the W but slopes towards the E. At the S there are fairly substantial remains, grass covered stone footings of a rectangular structure with some grass covered collapse around it. The NW corner of this feature survives to a height of approx. 2m and part of its E wall also survives to a height of c. 1.5m. The walls are built of horizontal courses of undressed stone bonded with mortar. There is a small short wall running out from the N wall of this structure and forms 2 bays against the inside of the N wall. There is a shallow depression with very faint and indefinite traces of a bank(s) running E-W across it in the N half of the interior. There is a small rectangular depression just N of the site but this is probably due to fairly recent disturbance. The S, N, E and NW sides of this site are slightly overgrown with trees and thorn bushes. The site is at the S end of a N-S ridge in fairly good pasture and there are extensive views to the W, S and E '(SMR File 10/08/1976). There were four houses of refuge for friars opened in the Diocese of Meath about 1713 (Moran 1961, 9-15). The field in which the house was built is almost level except for a low ridge. On this low ridge two small raths had been built. The friary was built within one of these raths (WM032-028----). The choice of this site for the friary may be explained by the presence of a souterrain. The corbelled roof of the souterrain has now collapsed. Friarstown was probably one of the houses which were demolished by the British in 1732 (Moran 1961, 9-15). Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 15 February 2013