Multyfarnham Franciscan Abbey
With a dramatic backstory that can be traced all the way back to 1268, Multyfarnham Friary is a church with a palpable sense of history. It’s a pretty incredible thought, as you sit on the pews within the striking interior of the abbey, that people have worshipped here for 700 years. But as well as worship, the friary has seen battle and hardship, from the suppression of the abbey ordered by King Henry VIII, to the attack and subsequent blaze in 1601.
The church has seen numerous restorations in its time, the most recent undertaken in 1973. The painstakingly preserved features are a wonder to behold, particularly the stained glass windows. One depicts the history of the church, and another series tells the story of the Children of Lir, who were turned into swans by a cruel stepmother, and swam upon the surface of the nearby Lough Derravaragh.