The Franciscan Friars came to Athlone about the year 1235 on present day Northgate street.For over 750 years the friars have lived continuously in Athlone. We are a fraternity of Franciscan friars, seeking to live the Gospel through the example of our founder Saint Francis of Assisi.

Our friars are involved in a range of work such as church ministry, retreat-giving, spiritual direction, prison ministry, schools chaplaincy, youth work and ministry to those suffering from addictions.

The Friary serves as a House of Studies for the Franciscans in Ireland and Great Britain, where post-novitiate students reside whilst studying at the national seminary in Maynooth.

– Church Services –
* Sunday Masses: Vigil 7.30pm, 7.30am, 9.30am and 11am
* Masses on Weekdays and Saturday: 8am and 10am
* St. Anthony’s Novena: Tuesdays at 10am and 7.30pm
* Confessions: Tuesday to Friday, 10.30-1pm and 3-6pm / Saturday 10.30-1pm, 2-6pm
* Friary Office opening hours: Monday to Saturday, 9-5.30pm

– History –
The friars came to Athlone around the year 1235 and established a friary at the town limits, in present day Northgate Street. The location of the friary allowed the brothers to combine prayerful seclusion with apostolic activity amongst the people of the town.

During the persecution of the faith after Henry VIII’s Reformation, the friars were forced to abandon the friary and go into hiding, where they continued to minister courageously to the needs of local people.

Hiding places around the town and surrounding countryside included Clonekill, Kilmauagh and Kilkenny West. Eventually the friars settled at Friars’ Island, Killinure, where a path connected the island to the town.

Interestingly, there was a total of eleven Franciscans who served as Bishops of Clonmacnoise between 1252 until 1657. The final Franciscan Bishop, Anthony MacGeoghegan, ordained the future saint and martyr, Oliver Plunkett.

Friar John Farrell became the local parish priest in Athlone in 1723 and the Franciscans moved to the site of our present home around the same time.

They opened a new church, dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, in 1815 but this was eventually demolished and the present Franciscan Friary – dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua – was opened in 1931 as a memorial to the Four Masters and their work on the Annals in 1628.

The exterior of the Friary Church recalls the nearby Clonmacnoise monastic site in its design and architecture whilst the interior of the Church includes windows from the Harry Clarke studios.

Thus, the Franciscans have lived on the banks of the Shannon in Athlone for more than 750 years. Moladh go deo le Dia!