Discovery of monastery dates back to 12th century experts have revealed

Discovery of monastery dates back to 12th century experts have revealed

23 April 2025

ARCHAEOLOGISTS believe they have found the site of a 12th Century monastery that was destroyed in 1177 by the Anglo-Norman knight John de Courcy on the outskirts of Downpatrick.

The Cistercian monastery, known as Erenagh, had been built 50 years prior to de Courcy's invasion of Ulster.

Nearly 850 years after its destruction, the secrets of Erenagh may now have been brought to the surface.

A community excavation of the site earlier this month found sections of wall, pottery, bone and slate, as well as a Henry III coin dating from around 1270.

The two-week excavation was organised by the Community Archaeology Programme, which aims to make archaeology welcoming and accessible.

The initiative offered a host of local school and college groups, including Legamaddy, Downpatrick Primary School and South Eastern Regional College, the chance to try out being an archaeologist.

Brian Sloan from Queen's University Belfast, who helped to guide the team, told BBC Newsline that Erenagh's significance was in it being one of the first Cistercian monasteries in Ireland.

“They took a European model, so if you think of the old Irish monasteries like a Nendrum, you'd have a round tower with your church in the centre,” he explained.

“But with this you'd have a cloister. That's a series of buildings around the church that feed into the monastery.”

Mr Sloan said de Courcy later built the cathedral at Inch Abbey in Downpatrick as “an act of penance” and made that into a Cistercian monastery.

Last year, a geophysical survey found that the Erenagh field, which is located just a few hundred yards from Ballynoe Stone Circle, was filled with anomalies.

Three trenches were selected for excavation with volunteers digging, scraping and brushing deep into the earth in search of evidence.

Among them were a group from South Eastern Regional College's Skills for Life and Work course, led by Anne Murphy.

“The course is an opportunity for students to gain GCSEs where the school system hasn't been able to help them do that,” she said.

“We’ve 14 students here, which is the biggest attendance all week as everyone is very excited – some are looking for bars of gold.”

Organisers of the dig will now study the findings, but they say they are confident radiocarbon analysis of the artefacts will confirm this was the location of Erenagh's long lost monastery.