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heritage · Saturday 15 August 2026 · Various 
Free Tours of the Franciscan Abbey, Stradbally
At Franciscan Abbey · Stradbally, Co. Laois
At Franciscan Abbey · Stradbally, Co. Laois
A guided tour of a medieval Franciscan abbey is a rare thing - rarer still when it costs nothing. During National Heritage Week 2026, a local guide leads free walks through the remains of the Franciscan Abbey in Stradbally, one of the oldest sites in Co. Laois. The abbey dates to around 1447, when it was founded by Lord O’Moore for the Conventual friars. It suits anyone with a passing interest in Irish history, and it works well for families too - the site is open and green, with room to move around rather than queue in front of glass cases.
Guide Roland takes visitors through the full story of the abbey and the land it sits on. The friary escaped the Tudor suppressions until 1569 - its small size probably kept it off the radar - but the community was eventually driven out, and in 1588 three of the friars were captured and executed near Abbeyleix. The tour also covers the Battle of Stradbally, a 1596 clash at Stradbally Bridge in which Alexander Cosby and his son Francis were both killed - a turning point in the area’s early settler history. The abbey, as Roland explains, was actually the Cosby family’s first base in Laois before they built Stradbally Hall nearby.
The tour also takes in the mill race that ran through the settlement - a later cotton and flour mill operated on the site, so the history here runs from medieval friars through to industrial-era commerce. Today the grounds are home to the Laois Cricket Club, and the mix of ruins and green space gives the place a lived-in, unhurried atmosphere. On Saturdays, the abbey tour follows directly after a walk of the Malthouse on Main Street, so you can take both if timing allows.
Stradbally sits on the R427 about 12 km north of Carlow town and 10 km west of Athy. From Dublin, the M7 to junction 17 (Monasterevin) and then south on local roads is the most straightforward approach - allow around an hour from the city. Bus Eireann serves Stradbally on routes between Portlaoise and Carlow, though services are limited on weekends, so check times in advance. The abbey is within the Stradbally Hall estate on the edge of the village; parking in the village itself is generally easy.
The village is probably best known outside Laois for the Electric Picnic site at Stradbally Hall, but outside festival season it is a quiet, well-kept place with a good local feel. The Hall itself runs Heritage Week tours of its own in the same week. There is more to see in Stradbally and across Co. Laois.
Heading to Franciscan Abbey in Stradbally? Laois has plenty more to see. Read the Stradbally area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.