French Church, Medieval church ruin in Waterford, Ireland

The French Church, also known as Greyfriars Abbey, is a former Franciscan friary founded in 1241 by Anglo-Norman knight Sir Hugh Purcell on Greyfriars and Baileys New Street in Waterford. The ruined church has thick stone walls and a 25-metre bell tower added in the late 15th century. A monument to Luke Wadding stands at the entrance.

Founded in 1241 by Anglo-Norman knight Sir Hugh Purcell, this was among the first Franciscan friaries in Ireland. Richard II lodged here in 1394 while planning his campaign against the Wicklow clans, and in 1395 four Irish chiefs—O'Conor Don, de Burgo, O'Brien and O'Kennedy—surrendered to him here. After the dissolution of April 1541 the friary was suppressed; Henry VIII granted a charter in 1544 to convert part of it into a hospital and almshouse.

The name comes from the Huguenots, French Protestants invited to Waterford in the seventeenth century to work in the linen industry. Bishop Nathaniel Foy adapted the choir of the former friary for their worship, and the building has been called the French Church ever since.

The graveyard lies off Greyfriars and Baileys New Street, a short walk from Reginald's Tower and Christchurch Cathedral, so the three can be seen together. The 25-metre bell tower stands at the site, and the Luke Wadding monument marks the entrance to the old church. Visit in daylight to read the grave inscriptions, among them the founder's grave beside the high altar.

The bells that once hung in this tower were sold by Henry VIII in 1541 and can now be found in the nearby Christchurch Cathedral. This separation reveals how religious objects were scattered during religious changes of that era.