Founded in 1471 by Calvagh O’Donnell for the Franciscan Third Order Regular, this religious house served its community for over a century before falling victim to the suppression of monasteries around 1603. Following its dissolution, the property was granted to Captain Basil Brooke, marking the end of its religious life and the beginning of its slow transformation into ruins.

Today, visitors encounter ivy-covered walls that tell a complex architectural story. The friary’s layout includes a church with chancel, nave, and south transept, whilst the domestic buildings where the friars once lived, worked, and prayed are arranged around the northern and eastern sides of what was once an open courtyard. The south transept appears to be a later addition to the original structure, suggesting the community expanded or modified their worship space over time.

The ruins have undergone various alterations since the friary’s abandonment, making their original form somewhat difficult to interpret. Many walls were squared off and repointed, possibly maintained by the Stewart family who repurposed the former sacristy, located north of the church, as their family burial vault. These later interventions, whilst preserving the structure, have added layers of history that complicate our understanding of the medieval building. Despite these challenges, Killydonnell Friary remains an evocative site where visitors can trace the footsteps of Franciscan friars who once called this place home, and contemplate the centuries of change that have shaped these weathered stones.