The Franciscan Friary
The 4th Earl of Desmond founded the friary in about 1389 by the fourth Earl of Desmond, Gerald. Gerald was known as the poet Earl 'Gearoid Iaria'. It is one of the most beautiful complete ruins in the country. It includes complete cloisters, the east window, medieval carvings, and a chapter room that is now the final resting place of the two martyrs Bishop Patrick O'Healy and Fr Conn O'Rourke.
On October 9, 1579, after failing to take Askeaton Castle, Sir Nicholas Malby attacked the Abbey where he killed a number of monks in a gruesome fashion. He also wrecked the ancestral tombs of the Desmonds, in what was a mean spirited attack on innocent men for the sole reason of having some revenge on the Earl in his impenetrable fortress.
Read more about this topic: Askeaton