ennis franciscan friary

The nave of the church was dedicated to St. Francis, and on the south-west face of the tower can be seen the figure of St. Francis with the stigmata. Note also in the interior of the south arch of the tower a beautifully ornamented screen, as well as small representations of the Virgin and Child, and a Bishop. One of the glories of the Friary is the MacMahon tomb near the east end of the south wall which was built about 1475 and reconstructed in 1843. In a slab on the west side may be seen a Bishop giving his Benediction, and the Arrest of Christ with St. Peter holding the ear of Malchus who lies prostrate at the feet of Christ. The south face has three panels: the Scourging at the pillar; the Crucifixion and Christ laid in the tomb. On the east side are two panes: the Resurrection, and a woman, possibly More Ni Brien, the foundress of the tomb. On the panel below are figures, including those of the Apostles: Thomas (with the shaft of a long spear); Paul (with sword); John (with lily); Simon (with saw); Peter (with the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven); Christ enthroned; Matthew (with tax bag); Bartholomew (with knife); James the Lesser (with club); Philip (with small cross) and some other figures. Under the protection of Murrogh O'Brien, 1st Earl of Thomond, the Friary survived the Dissolution, and was reformed in 1550. It was the last school of Catholic theology in Ireland to survive the Reformation. It was granted to the Earl of Thomond in 1578, and was the scene of the formal abolition of the old Irish Brehon Law in 1606. In 1615, the Friary became a parish church. The last of the old friars, Bruodin, died in 1617. A few friars returned in 1628, but were decimated and turned out by the Cromwellians in 1651. Again under Charles 11 the friars crept back, and in 1681 the transept was still roofed. By the end of the 17th century the friary was finally deserted, but in 1969 it was formally handed back to the guardianship of the Franciscans.

Ennis, Co. Clare