Plan of the Abbey of Ennismurry - Beranger, Gabriel (French draftsman, ca. 1729-1817, active in England and Ireland); Cooper, Austin (National Library of Ireland, 1982)
Antiquities of Abbeys, Castles & c. & c. in Ireland, Vol. II
The original Beranger drawing was executed on a visit to the island on Jun 24th-26th, 1779, as recorded in Sir William Wilde's "Memoir of Gabriel Beranger" (Dublin, 1880), pages 46-48, and in a letter from Beranger published in "Ireland of the Welcomes" (September-October 1993), pages 30-34. Inscribed on the page facing the image in 'Antiquities of Abbeys' is as follows: "Built without Cymetry [sic], of rude Stone work without mortar. The Cells DDE are under Ground [sic], as is all the part which is slightly shaded. Some Cells fallen in, they look horrid gloomy having a hole at the Top to give light, & sometimes a kind of Spike hole in the Side Wall. The Cell E is stopped & fallen in. The Cell F stands by itself". This plan was engraved and published as Fig. 1 of Plate 122 in Grose's Antiquities of Ireland, printed probably in 1796, but without any acknowledgment to Beranger as original draughtsman of the plan. It could be that Edward Ledwich who edited Grose's Antiquities probably depised Beranger or vice-versa. This drawing is a copy of Beranger's original created by Austin Cooper. (www.nli.ie)
Keywords: Ennismurry Abbey; Art -- Irish; Landscape -- Ireland -- History -- 18th century.; Inishmurray (Ireland) -- History.; Abbeys -- Ireland.; Architecture Designs and plans; Drawing -- Irish; 18th century