donegal town franciscan friary

Franciscan Friary:
On the seashore south of the town are the scanty remains of a Franciscan Friary founded by the first Red Hugh O'Donnell and his wife Nuala O'Brien in 1474. Of the church only the chancel and a gable of the south transept remain. Better preserved are the remnants of the cloister arcade.
The English seized and fortified the Friary in 1591 but were driven out the following year by Red Hugh O'Donnell. Ten years later, the English seized it again. During a battle between Niall Garbh O'Donnell, who held it for the English and his cousin Red Hugh O'Donnell, the magazine blew up and the resulting fire gutted the building. The Friary was granted to Sir Basil Brooke in 1607.
The Franciscan community stayed on until 1600, under the protection of the O'Donnells. After that they wandered from place to place, and four of the friars - three O'Clerys and a Duignan - made the community immortal by their compilation known as 'The Annals of the Four Masters; (1632-6), which is one of the most important sources of the early history of Ireland.