About
On the north bank of the Palmerstown River where it opens into Rathfran Bay, north of Killala, the Dominican friary of the Holy Cross was founded in 1274, by either Sir Richard D'Exeter or Sir William de Burgh. In 1513 Edmond MacWilliam de Burgo was killed here by his nephews, and in 1590 the army of Sir Richard Bingham, Governor of Connacht, burned the friary, though Dominicans stayed in the district until the end of the 18th century. The roofless church keeps a crucifixion panel over its west door, the remains of a triple lancet window, a south chapel and a two-storey building beside the chancel, with the foundations of the cloisters to the north. Local legend says a lifeboat of gold from a wreck was buried fourteen ridges from a corner of the abbey and never found. A recent visitor parked by the gate and followed a short path along the water.
Open in daylightFrom OPW Heritage Ireland's published times
- Open any reasonable time in daylight
Opening times may change at short notice.
An unguided open-air national monument in OPW's care with no staff and no facilities. OPW warns that care and caution should be kept throughout a visit to its unguided sites.
A grass path of about 250 m along the estuary shore from the road gate to the friary, which stands in pasture; uneven ground and gravestones inside the roofless church. No toilets.
Photo: The roofless church of Rathfran Friary from the south-west, its tall west gable and long south wall standing in pasture under a blue sky. JohnArmagh, CC BY-SA 3.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RathfranFriary.jpg. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0. Resized and cropped for display; derivatives retain the source licence.
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