Honour of Annaly - Feudal Principality & Seignory Est. 1172

⚜️ ANNALY (COUNTY LONGFORD)

Abbeys, Priories, and Monasteries of the Ancient Kingdom of Annaly

(Compiled from historical ecclesiastical records and Tudor grant rolls)

ABBEY SHRULE – Near the River Inny

Founded by the O’Farrells for Cistercian monks.
Granted in the 11th year of Queen Elizabeth to Robert Dillon, including:

• 24 cottages in the town of Vore,

• 180 acres of adjoining land,

• 80 acres of pasture and underwood,

• Messuages and cottages in Cranaghe and Ballynamanoghe, totaling more than 300 acres.
  Originally valued at £10 14s. 4d. yearly; now equivalent to £214 6s. 8d.

ARDAGH

A monastery founded by St. Patrick, later associated with St. Mel, patron of Ardagh and first Bishop of the See.

BALLYNASAGGARD

A Franciscan friary founded by the O’Farrells, one of the principal Gaelic dynasties of Annaly.

CLONEBRONE – Near Granard

A nunnery founded by St. Patrick for the two Emerias, daughters of St. Guasacht, Abbot of Lerha.
This great asylum of virgins stood until the year 1107, and continued until the general dissolution of the abbeys.

DEIRA or ABBEY DEIRG

A priory founded in the time of King John by Gormgall O’Quin.
Valued at the suppression at £2 yearly (now about £40).
Later granted to Nicholas Aylmer.

INCHMORE (Inismore / Inchmory / Great Island)

A monastery founded by St. Columb (Columba) around A.D. 450.
Here St. Boadon of Inismore died on 14 January.
In 1414, Edward M’Finbair, the Prior, also died.

INISBOFFIN – Island in Lough Ree

An abbey founded by St. Rioch (Risch), son of St. Dorerca, sister of St. Patrick.

INISCLOTHRANN – Also called Iniscloghran, Island in Lough Ree

An abbey founded about A.D. 540 by St. Diarmaid the Just (Jerome the Just), brother of St. Felis, Bishop of Kilmore.
On 17 December 1160, Gilla Nehemias O’Dunin, a celebrated scholar, poet, and historian, died here.

ALL SAINTS ISLAND (Inis Aingin), Lough Ree

A noble monastery built in A.D. 544 by St. Kieran of Clonmacnoise.
He endowed it richly for the poor, appointed St. Domnan his successor, and later founded Clonmacnoise Abbey.

KILGLASS

A nunnery where St. Echea, sister of St. Mell, was Abbess.

KILINMORE

An abbey founded by St. Palladius around A.D. 450.
Later converted to use as a Protestant church.

LERA (Lerha) – Near Granard

A monastery founded by St. Patrick for St. Guasacht, the son of his former master.
Another monastery was founded nearby in A.D. 1205 by Lord Richard Tuit, who was killed in Athlone in 1211 when a tower fell.
At the dissolution, its lands were valued at £8 13s. 4d. yearly (modern equivalent about £173 6s. 8d.).

LONGFORD (Town)

An abbey founded by St. Idwa, disciple of St. Patrick, whose feast falls on 14 July.
In A.D. 1400, the O’Farrells founded a Dominican monastery here.
Granted in 1615, by King James I, to Francis, Viscount Valentia.
The abbey church is now the Protestant parish church of Longford.

MOYDOW – Three miles from Ardagh

A monastery founded by St. Modan, who died A.D. 591.
His feast day is 12 February.

ST. JOHNSTOWN

A Grey Friary existed near this town but was destroyed during the Reformation.

🕯️ Additional Historical References

• Abbey of Ardagh – Founded by St. Patrick or St. Mel, 5th century.

• Priory of Inismore (Lough Gown) – Founded by St. Columb, 5th century.

• Abbey of Inisbofin (Lough Ree) – Founded by St. Rioch, 5th century.

• Iniscloghran Abbey (Lough Ree) – Founded by St. Dermod, 6th century.

• All Saints Island Priory (Inis Aingin) – Founded by St. Kieran of Clonmacnoise, A.D. 544.

• Kilmodain Abbey – Founded by St. Modan, 6th century.

• Priory of St. Peter at Derg – Founded by Gormgall O’Quin, 13th century.

• Granard Abbey – A major monastic center of early Annaly.

• St. Brigid’s of Longford – Dedicated to St. Brigid of Kildare.

🏛️ Titles and Honors Associated with the Abbeys

Abbeys and monasteries of Annaly held not only religious but also juridical, cultural, and economic privileges, often confirmed by the kings of Meath and later the English Crown.

Common Titles and Distinctions

1. Abbey – The principal title for a monastic institution, comprising church, cloister, and conventual lands.

2. Abbot or Abbess – The spiritual and administrative head of the abbey.

3. Monastic Orders – Most were affiliated with major orders such as the Benedictines, Cistercians, Franciscans, or Dominicans.

4. Papal Recognition – Several abbeys held papal privileges or indulgences, enhancing their spiritual jurisdiction.

5. Royal and Noble Patronage – Many abbeys were endowed by Irish chieftains or later confirmed by the English Crown, granting charters and exemptions.

6. Historic and Cultural Legacy – Many sites became centers of art, learning, and manuscript production during the early Christian era.

7. Educational Role – Some evolved into centers of instruction, producing clerics and scribes for Ireland’s medieval Church.

🕊️ Summary

The ancient kingdom of Annaly (Teffia)—now County Longford—was once a heartland of Irish monastic life.
From the 5th to the 15th centuries, its abbeys and priories under saints, scholars, and noble patrons formed a sacred network of Christian learning, charity, and governance, reflecting the region’s deep spiritual and cultural heritage.