Overview
For a suburb most Ballina visitors walk straight past, Ardnaree holds a surprising amount. On the east bank of the River Moy, across the water from the centre of Ballina, it has St Muredach’s Cathedral, the remains of an Augustinian abbey and a long history of fortified crossings and fighting over the river. It was a settlement in its own right long before the town absorbed it in the nineteenth century.
History & Heritage
The Augustinian Abbey
The most visible landmark is the abbey of St Mary of Ardnaree. It is associated with the O’Dowd (Ó Dubhda) chieftains of Hy Fiachrach, whose settlement here predates the town across the river, and it served as a centre of learning and worship until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the sixteenth century. The abbey grounds are now part of the setting of St Muredach’s Cathedral.
The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage records the limestone gateway on Cathedral Road at the entrance to the abbey grounds. Its carved stone piers and cast-iron gates date to around 1880.
The Dolmen of the Four Maols
The Dolmen of the Four Maols, a Bronze Age cist known locally as the ‘Table of the Giants’, stands on the opposite side of the river from Ardnaree, on the Ballina side. Tradition ties it to a darker story: it is said to mark the grave of four foster-brothers who murdered Bishop Ceallach of Kilmoremoy in the sixth century and were put to death in revenge by the bishop’s brother. It is a legend rather than a documented event, and it is not part of a walk from the abbey, so treat it as a separate stop on the town side of the river.
Ardnaree Castle & the Battle of 1586
Long before the abbey, this was a fortified crossing. The Anglo-Normans raised a stronghold here in the thirteenth century, and it was fought over for centuries by the O’Dowds and the Bourkes. No walls survive above ground, so there is no castle ruin to tour. The castle guarded the bend in the Moy and gave its name to the Battle of Ardnaree in 1586, an episode of the Tudor conquest in which English forces under Sir Richard Bingham defeated an Irish and Scots-mercenary army. At the time this bank of the river lay in County Sligo, as the Moy marked the county boundary until 1898.
What to See & Do
See the gateway and cathedral
Start on Cathedral Road. See the gateway from the public pavement and follow signs for any church visit, as access to the abbey grounds and cathedral depends on the church. There are no facilities you should count on, so plan around the town centre across the river.
The Moy at Ballina
The Moy is a salmon river. If you want to fish, check licence and permit requirements locally before you go.
Practical Information
- Opening and access: the gateway can be seen from the public pavement on Cathedral Road. Follow signs for any church visit rather than assuming the abbey grounds are open.
- Getting there: Ardnaree is on the east bank of the Moy, across the river from central Ballina, and is an easy stop within a walk of the town.
- Nearby amenities: Ballina’s cafés, pubs and restaurants are a short walk over the bridge.