Clare Abbey

Clareabbey, also known as Clare Abbey, is an Augustinian monastery ruin on the west bank of the River Fergus at the end of a narrow slip road at the south-east corner of Ennis. When in operation it was the largest and most important of County Clare's Augustinian monasteries. Originally called the Abbey of St Peter and Paul at Kilmony, it was founded in about 1189, reportedly by Domnall Mór Ua Briain, King of Thomond, and parts of the church date from the twelfth century. A handsome square belfry tower separates the long nave from the chancel, and fifteenth-century domestic buildings surround a garden cloister to the south and east; unusually there is no sign that a west range ever existed. The most notable features are three inserted fifteenth-century tracery windows, including an east window with a small carved human face above its hood. Dissolved in 1541, the abbey was occupied by canons as late as 1650. It is free and unstaffed, with many family burials inside, so walk with care.