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| Ross
Abbey was ruined years and years ago and now stands alone near a
river in Co. Galway. People still make pilgrimages to it on certain
Christian holidays. |
| The Friary
of Ross in the parish of Headford was one of the largest and best
equipped of the Franciscan foundations of Ireland.
Standing on the south bank of the black river, the ruins of the
friary still present a most impressive picture. |
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The Friary looks massive
in proportion - covering almost an acre of ground - its gables
are still pointed and features perfect in every way.
Of the importance of the Ross ruin as a typical example of a
medieval Franciscan Friary there can be little doubt, and indeed
it is acclaimed by some of the highest authorities as the best-preserved
pre-Reformation Franciscan ruin in Ireland. |
| Photograph from inside
the abbey |
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The legend of Ross dates back
to the great plague as Archbishop Malachy Mac Hugh trying to
deal with the disease went to a shrine and prayed.
A vision told him that if he built a monastery for the Poor
Friars the plague would stop. |
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