Religious house

On the S bank of the Inagh river. During the Cromwellian persecution the Franciscan friars of Ennis were obliged to take refuge in a number of places outside town. One of these was at Rooskagh, about half a mile W of Inagh, in 1663. The placename ‘Roosca’ is given on the 1917 OS 6-inch map just S of the river in the N portion of Carrowkeel West townland but the precise location where the friars resided is unknown . According to Conlon (1984, 26) nothing now remains of the buildings. He notes that ‘It was here in December 1666, just after the provincial chapter, that the friars were surprised by the Sheriff of Clare and his men. Four were caught, although the guardian, Francis Bruodin, was away. Those captured were two priests (Murtagh Griffin, appointed guardian of Quin in 1669, and Teige O’Hehir) and two brothers (William Browne and Richard Lysaght). It came out in evidence that one Maurice O’Connell had given the site to the friars three years before and that they had been there since. The friars were put in the county jail in Ennis for a while and then released on bail, more or less to do as they pleased.’ According to Spellissy (1987, 106) this was still listed as a friary in 1709. Compiled by: Mary Tunney Date of upload: 15 October 2019