MUST-SEE SLIGO ABBEY!! 800 years of catastrophy, repression, war and neglect, but still standing.
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- Опубликовано: 3 янв 2024
- We visit Sligo, a town on the beautiful West Coast of Ireland. In itself the town is really interesting place to visit and we’ll see some films of the town in future Naked Ireland editions. However, today we’re visiting a very special and extremely ancient site, Sligo Abbey.
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This abbey was founded as a Dominican convent, so in fact a priory is a more appropriate description of the building, since Dominican monasteries are led by Priors and not Abbots. Its founder was the Norman Maurice Fitzgerald, who was the 2nd Lord of Offaly and Justiciar of Ireland and so the building dates from 1252. It has had a turbulent history. As you might expect it is in Romanesque or Norman style.
First we see the remains of an old house just adjacent to where the western end of the Nave of the church would have sat - alas this part of the church hasn’t survived. Perhaps destoyed by those scavaging building stone in the late 19th Century.
The series of small arches you can see in the film is what’s known as a Rood Screen, which would originally have had a gallery above it. This has been reconstructed at some point, but originally dates from the 15th Century. You’ll also notice that there are graves on the floor of what would have been the original church. This is because the church was used as a graveyard during the period of King William of Orange’s reign, as all clergy were expelled from Ireland and the Dominican Monks fled to Spain. There are some very old head stones here as a result.
We see the Tower, another 15th Century addition. It’s similar to other Square shaped Norman towers except that its construction, seemingly suspended above the roof, was quite daring.
The building and it’s community of monks is alleged to have been founded by Fitzgerald to pray for the soul of a Richard Marshall, 3rd Earl of Penbrook, who Fitzgerald is rumoured to have killed. The ruins of this building, while now in the heart of Sligo town, originally lay outside the town limits and when founded it had substantial lands attached to it.
As we enter the Choir, we can see the magnificent high altar, also late gothic like the Rood Screen.
As well as several unique pieces of sculpture that survive here, there’s also some important monuments dedicated to some of the significant people in the Abbey’s history. I’ll leave it to you to explore that in more detail.
A closer look at the alter and we see that it depicts foliage in relief divided by arches - incredible that this has survived through the ages. We pass through a door taking us through the Sacristy and Chapter Room.
A fire badly damaged the building in 1414 and Papal assistance had to be sought for its reconstruction. The problem of attaining help from the Pope at this point in history was that there was not 1 but 3 men competing in what was known as the Vatican Standoff. Effectively there were 3 Popes, Benidict XIII in Avignon, Gregory XII in Rome and John XXIII in Pisa. However, John XXIII was the Pope that was addressed since he was the Pope supported by the English Monarchy. Consequently the Building was rebuilt in 1416. The next crisis for the monastery was Henry VIII. His dissolution of the monasteries in the 1530s threatened to once again destroy the community. However a letter was later sought from Queen Elizabeth exempting the monastery as long as the friars became secular priests. Some years later, in 1595 the building was again damaged in the siege of Sligo castle. Six companies of soldiers and horses were stationed here and much of the building’s timbers were taken and used in the war effort.
We enter the reasonably well preserved Cloister area. Unfortunately one side of the cloister no longer exists, but otherwise it’s in good shape with its gothic arches and barrel vaulted ceilings.
After recovering from the Siege of Sligo in the years that followed, during the 11 years war, in 1642,the Abbey was once again attacked and set on fire by Sir Fredrick Hamilton, with some of the friers killed. And then as I mentioned previously at the end of the 17th Century, during the reign of King William of Orange the Dominicans left to Spain Leaving the building vacant and to deteriorate.
This was when the abbey was used as a cemetery and some of the stone was removed for other building in the town. This was the beginning of the end for a functioning Abbey, however the Office of Public Works (OPW), who took it over in the 20th Century, stabilised the building and so we have the protected ruin you see today.
And back in the Nave of the church we see an incredible carved memorial. This is the O’Crean Tomb, the oldest surviving monument in the church its latin inscription dating it from 1506.
Brilliant video. I visited Sligo this summer and toured the abbey/priory ruins. Inspiring, and lots of little details hidden about. It's also easily accessible, right there in town. And of course, for fans of W.B. Yeats, Sligo is mandatory. His story "The Curse of the Fire and the Shadows" recounts Frederick Hamilton's murder of the friars at Sligo Abbey, and the subsequent doom several soldiers met at nearby Glencar Falls, which is also worth a visit. The two side-by-side cathedrals on the other side of Sligo are also very interesting religious sites. Outstanding. Thank you.
Many thanks for the praise Patrick, but as you say it’s such an inspiring place the video ‘made itself’. Actually I did a little film on Glencar Falls, it’s out there somewhere if you can find it. Many thanks for watching and commenting.
Beautiful Ireland 🇮🇪
Thanks for watching.
I visited this abbey in the 90s. The stonework is very good indeed. It reminds me of Holycross Abbey in Tipperary. That abbey is completely restored and will give you a good idea of how magnificent Sligo Abbey was in its heyday.
I don't know Holycross, but I must visit, though there's something special, I think, about seeing these old buildings (ruins) without them having been fiddled with too much. Thanks for watching and commenting and for drawing my attention to Holycross.
Great video Greg, I really enjoyed it and I could feel the history of the place. What it must have been like in its heyday, spectacular I bet. I look forward to the others you mentioned on Sligo. 👍
Cheers Rob, yes it’s a special place - more Sligo stuff on its way in the future.
@@nakedireland Keep up the good work mate 👍
I’ll try 😅
Enjoyed the video. TY. You should check out Knocknarea which has Queen Maeve burial mound on the top, probably 5 miles from Sligo town. Beautiful walk and some and then afterward drive into Sandhill which is nearby. We have driven thought Sligo town many times but stayed there for three nights last year and really enjoyed it. Looking forward to your next video.
Many thanks for your continued support, and of course the great tips!
That was great Greg! There are some beautiful examples of carved lace work you have shown. I particularly enjoyed the family crests, that in it day would have cost a few Penny's. My niece was Director of Archaeology for Sligo Co and she took my wife on a walk around the site. The Tudors and Reformation destroyed 92 percent of the Gothic architecture both in Ireland and Britain.
A terrible shame, the historic monuments that have been lost, but it’s great we still have these examples, albeit not complete. Thanks for watching.
The loss of cultural heritage in Ireland has always been a weapon used to suppress any sense of self worth. What's good to remember when walking through a Gothic site such as this , is how much of it was once painted. The archways, figures, Family Crests, and alters, all would have been full of colours. The image of my profile is a piece I carved , based on a 2BCE horse mount. So I sit up and take notice of any historical work you show!
Some beautiful designs and images on the masonry of the abbey. Lots for you to lust after!
Ireland made impression to me of very old ruins. Where I am from ruins are a lot more modern unfortunately. Like Ireland the ruiners come from the east.
We sympathise with your plight and hope that your great country can prevail. 🇺🇦
I cannot figure out how that tower is just hanging there! I mean I do understand that it has to do with physics but how in God's name did they know how to accomplish this type of thing so long ago? Beautiful! simply beautiful.
Well worth seeing Timothy, if you’re ever in Sligo.
Enjoyable video, as always. I’m particularly interested in Sligo and look forward to visiting someday.
Do you use a filter on your lens to achieve the unique tint?
Thanks for watching and I hope you get to Sligo soon. The colouring is done in the editing stage, rather than with lens filters.
Interesting video, as always... However, while the musical accompaniment is beautifully played, I haven't found that the music itself is an ideal counterpart to the ancient architecture. Ymmd, of course...
Thanks for that - yes, the music’s perhaps not to everyone’s taste, but thanks for watching.