Medieval Fore, County Westmeath

In the history of Norman monasteries founded in Ireland, the Benedictine priory of Fore stands apart. While many foundations were independent entities and others were cells or priories of English foundations, Fore was a cell of the French monastery of St. Taurin, Evreux, in Normandy. As such, it was one of only two alien priories in Ireland in medieval times - the other was in Ards, Co. Down. While the kings of England were still dukes of Normandy, the priory was considered their own property. As conflict between England and France grew, the priory came to be seen as alien property and, by the 14th century, was considered 'French, ' resulting in its seizure by the English crown. By the early 15th century, the priory had become the property of the local gentry of the region. This books charts the rise and fall of the priory and the surrounding area of Fore in the medieval period. All history is local and yet history is not all local. The story of the priory at Fore is not just the story of what happened locally, but also of how far distant events, such as the Great Western Schism and the Hundred Years War, impinged into the very recesses of medieval Ireland. (Series: Maynooth Studies in Local History -- Vol. 112)