According to Discover Northern Ireland, “Bonamargy Friary was built close to the mouth of the Carey and Shesk rivers by Rory MacQuillan in 1500. The rival MacDonnell clan fought for and claimed the friary from the MacQuillans in 1588. The cloister, gatehouse, altar and church are well preserved except for the thatch roof. There are many interesting features including the east window, a staircase and a sealed burial vault. The coffins of several Earls of Ulster and chieftain, Sorley Boy MacDonnell, lie within.” Remember the MacQuillan family from Dunluce Castle? This is more of their remarkable handiwork.
There are plenty of dark passages in the place, most of which are sealed off due to safety concerns. What’s unsafe about a 500+ year old stone building?!?
The angles of the headstones amaze me. How are they still upright at all?
The grass is so lumpy you have to watch where you walk because you sink further in than you expect. No wonder the stones can’t stay up!
The entrance to the friary. Not too many windows in that place. With the roof on, it’d be dark and cold.
There are headstones inside, outside, and underneath the friary.
In my research for more information about the friary, I stumbled upon a BBC site that gave some history of the friary. Short version: Julia McQuillan lived there in the 1600s and she asked that when she died she be buried at the entrance of friary so everyone who entered would step on her as a sign of her humility. That piece of stone you see in the bottom left corner of the photo above is her gravestone. I had no idea at the time, so I didn’t take a picture of it. I just thought it was a inconvenient place to bury someone. Anyway, she was called the Black Nun and is thought to now haunt the friary.
My pet peeve are tunnels that are shut off and closed up. Often we find the darkest part of history in those places–where the secrets happen.
If I ever get enough money to build my own mansion/castle (hehe!), I am going to have it constructed with tunnels and secret passageways. Who knows–maybe I’ll even hide treasures in the wall just to blow people’s mind when I’m gone!
Super fun fact: Bonamargy Friary rests in the middle of Ballycastle Golf Course. Anyone for stories of Julia McQuillan messing with the golfers? As if golf isn’t frustrating enough!
Thanks Northern Ireland for preserving this treasure!
For those of you who want to know about the Black Nun and the friary, check out the video below.
