Claregalway Friary

A Franciscan friary on the banks of the river Clare north of Galway city, founded in the thirteenth century by an Anglo-Norman lord of the district. The roofless church retains a tall, slender bell tower and finely traced east window, while the cloister and domestic ranges survive alongside. It was garrisoned and damaged during the wars of the seventeenth century. Set beside the river near a medieval bridge and castle, the grey ruins form part of a cluster of early buildings in the small village.