Sligo Priory, Dominican priory and national monument in Sligo, Ireland
Sligo Priory is a Dominican priory and national monument whose ruins sit along the Garavogue River in town. The remains include sections of the church, sacristy, chapter house, and a fifteenth-century cloister with adjoining structures.
A member of the FitzGerald family, Lord of Offaly and Justiciar of Ireland, founded this priory in the thirteen hundreds as part of developing Sligo town. Over the centuries, the site became central to the area's religious and social life.
The priory displays Gothic and Renaissance stone carvings that you notice while walking through the ruins. These decorative elements and the reconstructed triple-arched screen show how important this place was to people in the area.
The site sits in the middle of town and is easy to reach and explore on foot. The ruins are outdoors, so you should expect wind and rain and dress accordingly for the weather.
The priory served as the town's main burial ground from the 1700s until the middle of the 1800s, including people who died during a cholera outbreak. This role reveals how deeply the site was woven into people's lives.
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