Athassel Priory

John Cash

Situated on the west bank of the River Suir one mile from the picturesque village of Golden, Co. Tipperary, is Athassel Priory. The priory was founded c1200 by William De Burgh who was granted extensive lands in the 1180’s on the east and west banks of the River Suir by Prince John. The priory was dedicated to St. Edmund by its founder who died in 1205. He was married to the daughter of Donal Mor O Brien, whom of course, founded the Cistercian abbey further north on the River Suir at Holycross. Athassel Priory was an extensive fortified site covering 4 acres and in its day was the largest Augustinian priory in the country. Originally it was situated in the parish of Relickmurray and Athassel in the Barony of Clanwilliam, the Barony taking its name from William De Burgh. As you approach the site you will see the bridge; they diverted the River Suir so that it flowed to the west and east of the priory creating an island for the buildings inside the walls. This diverted water race was not only for fortification but also ran a mill wheel; they also created a pond on the southern side of the bridge to farm fish for their dinner table. As you walk across the bridge and approach the

Recess for the Drawbridge Steps to enter the Nave

Street of the old town gatehouse you can see a recess where a timber bridge could be drawn up when under attack. This would indicate that originally the bridge only extended partway across the water and then you had the timber drawbridge. Once you go through the gatehouse you come to a field where the village was before the village of Golden was founded. You can see ridges running across the field in a south-easterly direction; between these ridges was the village street with houses on either side. You then come to the timber step to get into what were the religious buildings; you can see immediately by its size and the architecture that Athassel benefited in no small way from the patronage of the de Burgh family. When you enter what was the nave, it is now a graveyard but its size is extremely impressive. We have to remember that William De Burgh was building an Anglo-Norman monastic site in the Irish run diocese of Cashel & Emily and no doubt he wanted to impress. Walking up through the Nave you can see over the door to the crossing. The screen was blocked up at a later period. When you enter the crossing it is hard to make out the cruciform architecture because of later remodelling but North and South transepts are there. There is a choir and of course the chancel which still has its altar and, on the south wall, effigies of members of the De Burgh family. Not much remains of the north transept which also gave access to a Ladies Chapel, however, the south transept is in very good condition. It has its private chapels and leads to the sacristy beside which was the

< Athassel Priory slype, while above these was the chapter house. A westerly door leads you out to the cloisters which are in reasonable condition. The building to the south of the cloisters was the refectory. There is certainly plenty to see in Athassel priory, it is a large site which has grotesques and a gargoyle in excellent condition. Its place in history cannot be underestimated either. Athassel can be connected to the De Bruce campaign in Ireland, to the change in the fortunes of the De Burgh family and to the O Brien’s, certainly in Tipperary. At Athassel’s peak the Prior had a seat in parliament in London. For me however just as important as all this history is the total feeling of serenity and peace that you experience when you visit this wonderful site.

South transept