Friarstown

39 registered freehold parcels lie mostly in Friarstown, from 157 m² to 461,087 m² (46.11 ha, 113.94 acres). The dashed line is the townland's boundary; 13 neighbouring parcels touch it.

No zone of a development plan covers Friarstown in the national zoning. Outside zoned towns and villages, the county development plan's rural policies apply to each application.

Source: Tailte Éireann and the Department of Housing (MyPlan), national zoning, CC BY 4.0.

• 23 Feb 2017Conditional

  the construction of a new private dwelling, fuel store and storage shed, new entrance and boundary treatment, private bored well, domestic septic tank with percolation area and all ancillary site works

  Permission, 1 home · Westmeath County Council, 176054

Source: National Planning Applications, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Applicants are not shown.

Designated sites

• Special Area of Conservation: Lough Ennell SAC 000685
• Special Protection Area: Lough Ennell SPA 004044
• Proposed Natural Heritage Area: Lough Ennell 000685

Recorded monuments

• WM032-024 Enclosure
  Description

  Monument was levelled in 1965 during land improvement works. The site had been visited in 1965 and was described as following; ‘In undulating countryside (sheep grazing) beside L. Ennell. Most of the ‘monument’ area has been quarried away (limestone) not very recently. Very little of original surface remains. There is some of surrounding at SW and S (scarped edge 5’-6’ high, of natural hillock): elsewhere it has been levelled. Not apparently circular, but roughly sub-rectangular according to OS map. There is nothing now remaining to warrant the supposition that this was a ringfort, but it is not impossible. If so it has been destroyed to all intent of purposes’ (SMR File 31/03/1965). The site of this monument was visited by ASI in 1971 and described as following; ‘Completely demolished. A curve in the field fence on the E side marks the perimeter of the site. It consists of a modern scarp. The site is situated on top of a prominent rise, is under meadow now. The site slopes slightly from NNW-SSE. Good view of lake to the W and NW. Detailed observation not possible because of meadow’ (SMR File 23/06/1971). Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 14 February 2013

• WM032-027 Ringfort - rath
  Description

  Monument surveyed by the ASI in 1976 and described as 'a small roughly circular enclosure (diam. 23m N-S; 23m E-W) bounded by a low bank of earth and stone with very slight traces of a shalllow fosse on the N and W. The bank is best preserved on the N and W and is absent on the E where there is a low scarp at the edge of the site. The bank is defaced by animal tracks on the N, W and S but there is no sign of an original entrance. The interior is slightly uneven but there are no internal features. The site is on the N end of a N-S ridge in fairly good pasture. It has extensive views in all directions. Friary site (WM032-028001-) located 75m to the SSE' (SMR File 10/08/1976). Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 16 February 2013

• WM032-028 Ecclesiastical enclosure
  Description

  Monument surveyed by ASI in 1976 and described as following; 'A rectangular embankment of earth and stone with the earth covered footings of a stone wall at its edge on the N and w and probably also the S. There is an external fosse with an outer bank. There is no indication of the stone wall on the E but the ground slopes down here and it is very faint on the S. The fosse and external bank are best preserved on the N and W, and are faint on the S. On the E the fosse and bank seem to be incorporated in a field fence which runs (roughly N-S) along this side of the site. This latter field fence may also incorporate a boundary bank running to the S enclosing one side of a field to the S of this site. There is what may be a hut site in the SE corner of the modern field but this is rather doubtful. Consisting of a roughly rectangular depression with some evidence of stone in the sides. There are two causeways across the fosse, one on the W and the other on the S and both may be original entrances. A later field bank running E-W begins at the outer edge of the W causeway and runs to the W for a short distance. The interior is fairly level in the W but slopes towards the E. At the S there are fairly substantial remains, grass covered stone footings of a rectangular structure with some grass covered collapse around it. The NW corner of this feature survives to a height of approx. 2m and part of its E wall also survives to a height of c. 1.5m. The walls are built of horizontal courses of undressed stone bonded with mortar. There is a small short wall running out from the N wall of this structure and forms 2 bays against the inside of the N wall. There is a shallow depression with very faint and indefinite traces of a bank(s) running E-W across it in the N half of the interior. There is a small rectangular depression just N of the site but this is probably due to fairly recent disturbance. The S, N, E and NW sides of this site are slightly overgrown with trees and thorn bushes. The site is at the S end of a N-S ridge in fairly good pasture and there are extensive views to the W, S and E '(SMR File 10/08/1976). According to Swan (1988, 12) the circular enclosure defined by an earthen bank and ditch represented the remains of an Early Christian ecclesiastical enclosure. However it is possible that this earthwork represents the remains of the precinct boundary wall of the Dominican Friary (WM032-028001-) rather than an Early Christian ecclesiastical enclosure. Compiled and revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revised upload: 24 August 2015

• WM032-028001 Religious house - Dominican friars
  Description

  Monument surveyed by ASI in 1976 and described as following; 'A rectangular embankment of earth and stone with the earth covered footings of a stone wall at its edge on the N and w and probably also the S. There is an external fosse with an outer bank. There is no indication of the stone wall on the E but the ground slopes down here and it is very faint on the S. The fosse and external bank are best preserved on the N and W, and are faint on the S. On the E the fosse and bank seem to be incorporated in a field fence which runs (roughly N-S) along this side of the site. This latter field fence may also incorporate a boundary bank running to the S enclosing one side of a field to the S of this site. There is what may be a hut site in the SE corner of the modern field but this is rather doubtful. Consisting of a roughly rectangular depression with some evidence of stone in the sides. There are two causeways across the fosse, one on the W and the other on the S and both may be original entrances. A later field bank running E-W begins at the outer edge of the W causeway and runs to the W for a short distance. The interior is fairly level in the W but slopes towards the E. At the S there are fairly substantial remains, grass covered stone footings of a rectangular structure with some grass covered collapse around it. The NW corner of this feature survives to a height of approx. 2m and part of its E wall also survives to a height of c. 1.5m. The walls are built of horizontal courses of undressed stone bonded with mortar. There is a small short wall running out from the N wall of this structure and forms 2 bays against the inside of the N wall. There is a shallow depression with very faint and indefinite traces of a bank(s) running E-W across it in the N half of the interior. There is a small rectangular depression just N of the site but this is probably due to fairly recent disturbance. The S, N, E and NW sides of this site are slightly overgrown with trees and thorn bushes. The site is at the S end of a N-S ridge in fairly good pasture and there are extensive views to the W, S and E '(SMR File 10/08/1976). There were four houses of refuge for friars opened in the Diocese of Meath about 1713 (Moran 1961, 9-15). The field in which the house was built is almost level except for a low ridge. On this low ridge two small raths had been built. The friary was built within one of these raths (WM032-028----). The choice of this site for the friary may be explained by the presence of a souterrain. The corbelled roof of the souterrain has now collapsed. Friarstown was probably one of the houses which were demolished by the British in 1732 (Moran 1961, 9-15). Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 15 February 2013

Architectural heritage

No building of the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage stands in the townland of Friarstown.

Designated sites: National Parks and Wildlife Service. Recorded monuments: Sites and Monuments Record, National Monuments Service. Buildings: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Works at or in relation to a recorded monument need two months' written notice to the National Monuments Service (National Monuments (Amendment) Act 1994, section 12).

No address of the register names Friarstown with five sales or more. The sales of the area are on the page of Co. Westmeath.

Name

Friarstown

Area

1,971,456 m² (197.15 ha, 487.16 acres)

Civil parish

Clonfad, and its townlands

Barony

Fartullagh

Electoral division

Carrick, the unit of the census

Neighbouring townlands

Clonsingle, Dalystown, Gaddaghanstown

Placenames

Friarstown on logainm.ie, the Placenames Database of Ireland

Townlands, civil parishes, baronies and electoral divisions, National Statutory Boundaries, Tailte Éireann, CC BY 4.0. A townland is the smallest land division of Ireland, and the unit of a rural address; old registers such as the 1901 and 1911 censuses file it under its civil parish and barony.