Located in the village of Quin in County Clare, this remarkable Franciscan friary was built among the ruins of an Anglo-Norman castle. The castle, constructed by Thomas de Clare in the late 13th century, was destroyed after the Gaelic MacNamara family regained control of the area. Around 1402, Síoda Cam MacNamara established a religious house on the site, and in 1433 his family helped bring the Franciscan friars here.

Quin became an important centre of Franciscan life in the region and served as a burial place for local patrons. Despite suppression during the dissolution of the monasteries, the friars continued to occupy the buildings intermittently for centuries, enduring attacks, fires, and periods of restoration. The last friar associated with Quin, John Hogan, died in 1820.

Today, Quin is among Ireland’s best-preserved medieval Franciscan friaries. Its cloister, church, tower, and domestic rooms remain remarkably intact, while fragments of the original castle can still be seen incorporated into the later buildings. Together, they preserve a vivid picture of medieval religious life and the enduring influence of the MacNamara family in County Clare.