Castlelyons Friary
| Castlelyons Friary | |
|
County Cork | |
|---|---|
 Castlelyons Friary East wing | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | W84059301 |
| Location: | 52°5’21"N, 8°14’1"W |
| Village: | Castlelyons |
| Order: | Carmelites |
| History | |
| Established: | 1307–09 / 1324 |
| Founder: | John de Barry, 4th Baron Barry |
| Information | |
| Condition: | ruined |
Castlelyons Friary is a former Carmelite Priory in Castlelons in County Cork.
The friary stands ni a ruinous state, four miles south of Fermoy, south of the Munster Blackwater.[1]
History
The friary was founded at Castlelyons for the Carmelite Order in about 1307–09 by John de Barry, 4th Baron Barry, during the reign of King Edward II. De Barry had been granted licence by the King to alienate land for the Carmelites of Drogheda on 11 August 1309, but was without papal license until Pope John XXII granted one in 1324, and then the friary could be built. Later the friary was granted 20 marks (£13 6s. 8d.) a year, to be taken from the people of the town.
Originally the friary had just a small church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Later it was extended westwards by a nave, cloister and tower.
The friary was dissolved in 1541 during Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries and its lands were annexed to the crown in 1561. The land was granted to James de Barry, 4th Viscount Buttevant in 1568.
In 1638, windows were taken from Castlelyons and placed in Lismore Cathedral. About this time, Castlelyons was granted to Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork; he in turn gave it to his daughter Alice (1607–1667).
The friary was re-established in 1737. The last prior, John O'Neil, died in 1760. It was later used as a 'hedge school'.
When it was visited by John Windele in the mid-19th century the locals were using the nave to play handball.[2]
Some restoration was done by the Office of Public Works in the 1930s.[3][4]
Building
The surviving buildings, mostly dating to the 15th century,[5] are the nave, half the tower, parts of the dormitory. In the chancel there is a stone altar. In the west gable is a pointed doorway. Above it is a two-light window with ogee heads.[6]
- Castlelyons Friary
-
View of nave -
Remnants of the cloister -
Tower and dormitory -
West window -
Tower -
Costume of a Carmelite friar (French illustration, 1811)
Outside links
- Stories from the River of Time: Castlelyons Carmelite Friary - YouTube
- Castlelyons Abbey (as seen from a high altitude perspective) - YouTube
- Castlelyons Abbey - YouTube
References
- ↑ Salter, Mike (17 July 2017). Abbeys and Friaries of Ireland. Folly Publications. ISBN 9781871731842. https://books.google.com/books?id=U6frAAAAMAAJ&q=%22castlelyons+friary%22.
- ↑ Past, Ed Hannon-Visions of the (10 July 2017). "Castlelyons Friary, Cork, Ireland". https://visionsofthepastblog.com/2017/07/10/castlelyons-friary-cork-ireland/.
- ↑ "Castlelyons Carmelite Priory - Monastic Ireland". http://www.monastic.ie/history/castlelyons-carmelite-priory/.
- ↑ "Castlelyons Friary". http://www.irishstones.org/place.aspx?p=1005.
- ↑ Crowl, Philip Axtell (17 July 1990). The Intelligent Traveller's Guide to Historic Ireland. Contemporary Books. ISBN 9780809240623. https://books.google.com/books?id=hKGfAAAAMAAJ&q=%22castlelyons+friary%22.
- ↑ "Castlelyons Dominican Friary". http://irishantiquities.bravehost.com/cork/castlelyons/castlelyons.html.