Ballybeg Priory
Ballybeg Priory (Irish: Prióireacht an Bhaile Bhig), also known as Ballybeg Abbey, the Abbey of St Thomas, and St Thomas's Priory, is a 13th-century priory of the Augustinian order near the town of Buttevant, County Cork, Ireland. It is home to one of the best preserved and most substantial dovecots in Ireland. The priory was founded in 1229 and dissolved in 1541, the land and buildings passing into private hands. Those parts of the buildings that have escaped from the stone being removed for use in other buildings are mostly late medieval.
Prióireacht an Bhaile Bhig | |
Ballybeg Priory in 2010 | |
Monastery information | |
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Order | Augustinian |
Established | 1229 |
Dedicated to | Thomas Becket |
National monument of Ireland | |
Official name | Ballybeg Abbey |
Reference no. | 301 |
Along with Bridgetown Priory near Castletownroche, Ballybeg priory is one of only two substantial Augustinian monasteries in County Cork.
The abbey, dovecot, and nearby tower known both as Ballybeg Castle and as Ballybeg Tower, are collectively considered a National Monument in State Care (#301).