Creevelea Friary, Franciscan friary ruins in Dromahair, Ireland.
Creevelea Friary is a Franciscan monastery ruin in Dromahair built with substantial stone walls organized into distinct sections. The site preserves a church with nave, chancel, and transept alongside a cloister and attached residential quarters.
The friary was founded in 1508 by Owen O'Rourke and Margaret O'Brian as a Franciscan community. It was rebuilt after a major fire in 1536 and continued functioning until the early 1800s.
The carved stones in the cloister display religious scenes that tell stories of faith through medieval craftsmanship. These details show how monks expressed their beliefs in the spaces where they lived and worked.
The site sits along the R286 road between Sligo and Dromahair and is accessible on foot from the roadside. You can walk freely around the ruins and spend as much time as you need exploring the stone structures.
The friary was pressed into service as a stable for military horses in the 1590s when Richard Bingham pursued a local chieftain through the region. This episode connects the site to the wider story of Spanish Armada survivors seeking refuge in Ireland.
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