murrisk abbey

Murrisk Abbey: The picturesque ruins of the Augustinian Abbey stand in the shadow of Croagh Patrick. There is a great deal of piety, heroism, poetry and drama enshrined in the history of the Abbey. It is no wonder the ruins have been declared a National monument. The Abbey was founded in 1457 when a letter from Pope Callistus III gave permission to an Augustinian Hugh O'Malley of Banada Friary, County Sligo to establish a Church and Priory at Murrisk on land donated by Thady O'Malley who is described as a chieftain of that area. The East window behind the altar is the finest architectural feature in the ruins, it has five trefoil pointed lights surmounted by interconnecting bar tracery and according to Dr. H. Leask, the Irish authority on Church Building, "is perhaps the best window of its type in the West of Ireland.