It also once possessed its own institutional seal, which now sits in the British Museum, a quiet reminder that this was once a place of some administrative consequence, not merely a rural outpost.

The foundation dates to around 1312 and is attributed, probably, to Elizabeth de Clare, a figure whose family connections placed her among the most powerful Anglo-Norman landowners in Ireland and England. The buildings were repaired in 1400 and again in 1431, and friars were still recorded in occupation as late as 1574, with another period of habitation following the rebellion of 1641. Excavation and conservation work carried out between 1990 and 1994 revealed a good deal about the fabric of the church, which measures roughly 34.6 metres east to west. Parts of the west doorway, decorated with rope fluting, are original medieval stonework; the window above it was retrieved from the east gable rather than being found in situ. The east tracery window is a reconstruction based on original fragments. Inside, the south wall retains two piscinae, which are small stone basins used for draining water after the washing of liturgical vessels, as well as a sedilia, the recessed seats used by officiating clergy. Two distinct mason marks were identified in splayed windows on the same wall, small personal signatures left by the craftsmen who cut the stone. A cross slab was uncovered beneath the west doorway during excavations. Perhaps the most intriguing element is a building of entirely unknown function attached to the northeast external corner of the church, reached by a doorway and steps set into the north wall. What it was used for has not been established.