One of the best-preserved medieval churches in Ireland

Adare Augustinian Friary was founded in 1316 and was formerly known as ‘The Black Abbey’ because of the black habits worn by the Augustinian Friars. It is now known as ‘St. Nicholas’s Church of Ireland’. The Augustinian friars first came to Dublin from England in 1260 and were invited to Adare by John FitzThomas FitzGerald, 1st Earl of Kildare in 1316. By 1541 the Augustinians owned nearly 80 acres of land, several cottages and gardens in the village, and a fishing weir on the river. As part of the Tudor suppression of Irish monasteries at the end of the 16th century, the Augustinians were driven out of Adare. Many of the features of the friary are very well preserved, particularly the small 15th-century cloisters. This national monument is one of the few examples where you can get an idea of what these Irish medieval churches really looked like.