Kilcrea Abbey and Castle, County Cork, Ireland

Kilcrea Friary
Prióireacht Chill Chré

Kilcrea Friary
Monastery information
Order Franciscans
Denomination Catholic Church
Established 1463 or 1465
Architecture
Status Ruined
Site

Kilcrea Friary (Irish: Prióireacht Chill Chré)is a ruined medieval abbey located near Ovens, County Cork, Ireland. Both the friary and Kilcrea Castle, located in ruin to the west, were built by Observant Franciscans in the mid 15th century under the invitation of Cormac Láidir MacCarthy, Lord of Muskerry, as protection from English troops.

The friary was sacked by the English army a number of times in the late 1500s, during which it sustained considerable damage, but remained occupied by friars until the 1620s. MacCarthy was killed in battle in 1494 and is buried at the site.The site has remained in continuous use as a burial ground,and contains, among others, the remains of Art Ó Laoghaire, known for the lament composed for him by his widow Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill.

The abbey's main features include an aisle, a transept on the south-side, and cloisters at the north end. The narrow tower is ascended via a series of steep and winding stairs. The areas around the tower were once dormitories, day rooms and kitchens.

The name Kilcrea is derived from the from Irish Cill Chré, meaning 'Cell of Cyra'. Cyra was an early medieval abbess who reputedly founded a nunnery to the east of the friary in the parish of St Owen's (Ovens).
The abbey was founded in 1465 for the Observant Franciscans by Cormac Láidir MacCarthy, Lord of Muskerry, on the grounds of on an earlier Christian site. Located in the valley of the Bride river,it is named after the sixth-century holy lady Saint Cyra (also known as St Créidh), said to have been the abbess of the original nunnery located on the site,and who by legend may be interred in the centre of the choir. Although both the abbey and nearby Kilcrea Castle are located in what is today open countryside, it is thought that originally the sites were positioned on an east–west axis of a now-abandoned early medieval settlement.
Kilcrea was first attacked by the English army in 1542 and sacked in 1584, but continued in use under MacCarthy's patronage.In 1597, it was granted to Cormac MacDermot MacCarthy. It was twice repaired, including in 1604, and remained active until the 1620s, with Fr. John Gould recorded as Superior in 1621.
The abbey is a National Monument of Ireland, #182, which entitles it to state protection. However, there have been some reported illegal excavations in the graveyard by detectorists.
Its grounds have been used for general burial since the early 17th century; mostly in the graveyard within the ruins of the abbey's chancel. It was the burial place of the McCarthy's of Muskerry from 1494 to 1616, commencing. with Cormac MacCarthy. However, there are no surviving traces of their tombs on the site. Cormac Láidir MacCarthy tomb bears the inscription: "Hit Jacet Cormac filius Derm-ittu Magni MlcCarthy, Domii nus de Illutsgraiyli IFlayn, at istius conventus prinius fun dator An. Dont. 1495".A head carved on the tower's upper floors is thought to represent him.[