Athenry still retains not only its medieval castle, parish church, Dominican priory, market cross, and typically medieval street plan, all within its medieval town walls, but also the base of a bargaining-cross in the fair green, two medieval bridges across its river, the Clareen, the remnants of a pre-reformation church dedicated to St Brigid, and a working forge, all immediately outside the town walls; there is also a uniquely triangular-in-plan dovecote within the town, but this is post-medieval (eighteenth century) in date. The five major medieval monuments within the town, however, are of sufficient importance to deserve individual description - after all, they are what make Athenry an outstanding lrish heritage town.
Athenry Castle
For almost five centuries Athenry castle has been abandoned, roofless and in a ruinous state. In 1990, however, the national monuments branch of the office of public works started work on its restoration. The restored castle will be used, among other things, as a heritage centre.
Athenry castle consists of a keep and surrounding curtain-wall or bawn. The original keep, built about 1235 by Meiler de Bermingham, was low and squat, the roof being at the level of the present second floor. Shortly afterwards, probably by Piers, Meiler's son who succeeded him in 1252, the castle was raised in height by another story; in the fifteenth century the gable-ends were raised to accommodate a new and higher roof rising above the battlements.
Entrance to the castle was by external wooden stairs leading to a decorated doorway in the east wall at first-floor level. Two narrow but fine windows remain at this level, both decoratively carved like the doorway; such carved work is unique to Athenry castle though quite common in ecclesiastical buildings of the late twelfth-early thirteenth centuries. Also unique to Athenry castle is that over its doorway was a small stone-built canopy-like affair, presumably to provide some shelter for visitors at the door.
The castle seems to have generally been cold and dark: there are no windows at second-floor level and no fireplaces anywhere; the fire was probably centrally placed in the uppermost room at whatever period of construction, the smoke escaping through a louvre or opening in the center of the roof. It is no wonder the de Berminghams moved eventually from it to a more comfortable town house in the square.
The Dominican Priory
Normally, in Ireland, were built just outside the town walls, but not in Athenry, though this might be explained by its being sited on the other side of the, river from the rest of the town, even if just within the walled area. In 1241 Meiler de Bermingham, founder of the town, presented the site to the Dominican friars so that they might build an abbey - reputedly at the request of St Dominic himself; the saint, however, had died in 1221, twenty years earlier. Strangely enough, both the native Irish and colonizing Anglo-Normans co-operated in sponsoring the construction, and the priory was completed in 1261. In 1324 the front of the church was knocked down and rebuilt with a fine tracery window and, no doubt, a fine west doorway, the former now partly and the latter totally destroyed by a handball alley built into it about the turn of the present century. The choir was lengthened and a north aisle and transept were added about the same time.
In 1400 Pope Boniface IX granted a bull of indulgence to those who visited the priory and who contributed, alms towards its upkeep. In 1423 the priory was accidentally burnt, and Pope Martin V granted another bull of indulgence to those who contributed to its repair, an indulgence which was renewed in 1445 by Pope Eugenius. Alterations made during the lengthy period of rebuilding included reduction of the size of the fine cast window, replacing its ornamental cusped tracery by the more severe switch-line variety, and the heightening of the roof of the cloistral ambulatory. The major change, however, was the construction of a large central tower, which necessitated strengthening the aisle's columns and reducing its arches - despite which it fell in 1845. Under the tower was erected a roodscreen, of which there are only three other examples in Ireland.
The priory escaped suppression in the dissolution of Henry VIII, but in 1574 Queen Elizabeth gave the friary buildings and lands to the provost and burgesses of Athenry for all of 26s 6d (£1.32 1/2) yearly
The Dominican priory is noted not only for its varied history and architectural remains, but also for one of the finest and most interesting collections of medieval grave slabs in rural Ireland; it also contains some fine wall-plaques and two important and imposing tombs.
Waypoint 1
N 53 17.974 W 8 44.656
How many times does the letter M appear are in the word on the monument? call this A
How many times does the letter C appear? Call this B
Waypoint 2
N 53 17.916 W 8 44.678
What year was the site bought for 160 Marks ? add all the digits together and call this C
What year was the building wrecked by Cromwellian solders? add all the digits together and call this D
Final location
N 53 17.9(C-(A+B))(B) W 008 44.6((D\A)+B)(A)