Claregalway Franciscan Friary

Claregalway Abbey is a nave and chancel church founded by Norman knight John de Cogan for the Franciscan friars. De Cogan founded Claregalway in c.1240, and by 1252 had received a license to have a weekly market and annual fair. The church dates from the 13th to the 15th century. In the late 13th/early 14th century, the Abbey was protected by the Irish lords of the region, the O’Flaherty’s. By ...