Fanningstown Castle

Located in the grounds of the Adare Manor Golf Club, the friary is a characteristic example of the monasteries erected in Ireland during the 14th and 15th centuries. It was founded in 1464 by the 7th Earl of Kildare for the "Franciscan Friars of the Strict Observance". Although now in ruins, the remaining walls show a remarkable outline of its former elegance. Many of it’s excellent proportioned gables remain in a good state, as does it’s graceful and beautiful seventy two foot central tower, soaring over a roofless nave and transepts, with gable ends gaunt against the skyline.