From Umbria to Ennis - Talk on the Early Franciscan Friars (Heritage Week)

What to Expect

Fr Liam Kelly OFM, lecturer in theology and religious studies at Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick, gives a talk titled “Reflecting on the Founder - A Franciscan speaks on Saint Francis and the Early Friars: from Umbria to Ennis.” The talk covers the origins of the Franciscan movement in Umbria, Italy, and traces how the friars came to establish one of their most significant Irish foundations in Ennis in the 13th century under the patronage of the O’Brien clan. By 1375, the Ennis Friary had grown to 350 friars and a school of 600 pupils. The friary’s surviving stone contains some of the finest 15th and 16th-century limestone carvings in Ireland.

Good to Know

• Part of National Heritage Week 2026 (15 to 23 August). Exact date and time to be confirmed at heritageweek.ie.
• Free event, held at Ennis Friary (OPW managed site) on Abbey Street, Ennis.
• Ennis Friary is open to visitors daily during summer; standard OPW admission applies outside Heritage Week.

Getting There

Ennis Friary is on Abbey Street in Ennis town centre, a 5-minute walk from the bus station and main car parks.