The Franciscan Friary on Francis Street in Wexford Town, now under the care of the Diocese of Ferns, has been a place of worship for more than 750 years.
Maurice Fitzgerald founded it in the mid-13th century on the site of a small chapel and graveyard originally set aside for the Knights Hospitallers. He was a member of one of the leading Anglo-Norman families that invaded Ireland.
During the 16th century, King Henry VIII separated from the Catholic Church and established the Church of England. From around 1537, he disbanded Catholic monasteries and appropriated their income. The authorities confiscated the Friary in Wexford and handed it over to lay tenants loyal to the crown and Protestantism.
After the suppression, the Franciscan order in Wexford went into hiding and practised their religion in secret, helped by friends and supporters in the town.
In 1620, the order rented a thatched house on High Street, where it celebrated daily mass. The Franciscans regained control of the Friary in 1622.
Following the arrival of Cromwell in 1649, the authorities repressed Catholicism and the Friary fell into ruins. They introduced harsh Penal Laws to force Irish Catholics into accepting the Reformation. These laws also sought to maintain the status of the Protestant Ascendancy, which had gained significant wealth and power after Cromwell’s conquest of Ireland.
By the mid-18th century, the Penal Laws had relaxed and Catholics had regained some religious freedoms. During this period, the Franciscan order in Wexford regained ownership of the Friary and opened a chapel. The Friary became the parish church of Wexford, as many of the medieval churches had been destroyed. It remained the main parish church for Wexford Town until the opening of the Twin Churches in 1858. The Twin Churches refer to Rowe Street Church and Bride Street Church, two Catholic churches that tower over Wexford’s skyline.
In 1984, the Franciscans discovered dry rot in the Friary’s internal wooden structure. The order launched a major fundraising campaign to treat the building. Between 1984 and 1987, while treatment and repairs took place, the Church of Ireland allowed the Franciscans to use St. Iberius Church on North Main Street.
The Franciscan order handed control of the building to the Diocese of Ferns in 2007.
It was once believed that an underground tunnel connected the Franciscan Friary with Wexford Quay. However, the story of the tunnel is likely a myth.
Map
A map showing the location of the Friary, situated on Francis Street and Lower John Street in Wexford Town: