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Population centre

Lorrha

Lothra

Carved doorways, ruined priories and surviving cross fragments mark the village’s religious past.

Watercolour and fine ink illustration of Dominican priory and Catholic church at Lorrha, as photographed in 2015.
Illustration, Dominican priory and Catholic church at Lorrha, as photographed in 2015
Recorded locationLorrha53.09556° N · 8.11943° WInteractive map supplied by OpenStreetMap.
Approximate recorded location · Logainm.ie

The name

A reliable full-name meaning has not been established here. The recorded Irish and English forms are given without an unsupported translation.

Recorded forms

  • Lothra · Irish · main form · validated name
  • Lorrha · English · main form

Place & story

Augustinian priory

The Augustinian house began in the twelfth century, although its standing ruins date from the fifteenth. Its decorated doorway includes a woman wearing a horned headdress, with traces of blue paint on her robe. Part of the complex was later adapted as a handball alley. [2]

Dominican priory

Walter de Burgo founded the Dominican priory in 1269. Six pairs of narrow chancel windows remain a conspicuous feature. After the west gable collapsed in 1939, the Office of Public Works reconstructed it, including the doorway, window and bellcote. [3]

Cross fragments

The graveyard around Saint Ruadhán’s church preserves the bases and incomplete shafts of two eighth- or ninth-century high crosses. Their worn carvings include interlace, animals and biblical scenes. [4]

Geographic information

Place type
Population centre
County
Tipperary
Civil parish
Lorrha
Coordinates
53.09556, -8.11943 (approximate)
Logainm ID
1414533 ↗

Sources & further reading

  1. Logainm.ie — Lorrha. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
  2. Lorrha Augustinian Priory · Office of Public Works, Heritage Ireland
  3. Lorrha Dominican Priory · Office of Public Works, Heritage Ireland
  4. Lorrha Church and High Crosses · Office of Public Works, Heritage Ireland
  5. Dominican priory and Catholic church at Lorrha, as photographed in 2015 illustration: based on a Dominican Priory and Roman Catholic church, Lorrha by Jonathan Thacker. AI-assisted watercolour and ink adaptation; cream paper margins added, incidental clutter omitted and fine details simplified. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.

Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2012-02-13. How this page was prepared.