Friar's Island

Friar's Island, which is situated in Killinure Lough - one of the 'inner-lakes' of Lough Ree can be reached from the mainland at Ballykeeran by a causeway. The first members of the Franciscan order to arrive in Athlone settled there c1235. In the sixteenth century the Friars from Athlone had found sanctuary in the Dillon country of Kilkenny West and in the early seventeenth century (possibly in 1626) they took up a more permanent residence at a place which they called 'Oileán na mBráithre' at Killinure. In time this became known as Friar's Island.

It was while the Athlone Friars were living on Friar's Island that they played host to Br Mícheál Ó Cléirigh the chief of the Four Masters. Ó Cléirigh spent a month (February 1628) transcribing the Life of St. Ruadhán; he returned the following year to transcribe a Life of St. Ciarán. In 1630 he spent another month working on 'Réim Ríoghraidhe na hÉireann agus Seanchas a Naomh' this was the first occasion that the 'Four Masters', all trained annalists under the supervision of Ó Cléirigh, collaborated for the first time.

Two fragments of manuscripts from Friar's Island found their way into the collection of Sir James Ware and are now preserved in the Bodleain Library in Oxford.