In 1449, Fineen O'Driscoll, chieftain of the locality was granted Papal licence to found an observant friary on Sherkin Island. However, there is no reference to building until 1460 or 1462, when the Observants were firmly established in Ireland. The "Annals of the Four Masters" record that in 1466 "The Franciscan house was erected on Inisherkin, on O'Driscoll territory". Fineen O'Driscoll, the founder of the friary is recorded as having died in 1472 and is probably buried in the friary near the high altar, as he was its founder. After his death, the friary was inherited by his successors. At that time the O'Driscolls, who were expert seafarers and of a roving disposition, used to sail around to Waterford where they allied themselves with the powers of that county in attacks upon the city, with the object of plunder. It was an attack by O'Driscoll pirates on a Waterford ship which led to the near destruction of the Friary, and the plundering of the island by the men of Waterford.

Lead Up To Attack On Sherkin By Waterford
In 1537, a ship, the Santa Maria De Soci, was bound for Waterford from Lisbon with a cargo of wine. This ship was forced to take shelter in Baltimore from a storm, and while there, it was set upon and plundered by O'Driscoll pirates. When the people of Waterford heard of this incident they were so enraged, that they dispatched a naval expedition against the island. An armed force landed at Dun-na-Long castle, seat of the O'Driscoll clan, broke it down and reduced it almost to ruins. They overran the island for five days and burned the villages. They attacked and plundered the Friary, taking with them chalices and other spoils, including the great bell. They then proceeded to Baltimore and continued to wreak havoc before returning home to Waterford, well and truly avenged. Despite this attack the Friary must have continued to function, for "in 1577 Alderman Meade, Lord Mayor of Cork, bequeathed 4 barrels of salt and 100 measures of corn to Inisherkin Friary". During the Cromwellian period the Friary was confiscated and the lands and buildings obtained by Captains Jervois and Beecher. It remained in the possession of the Beechers until 1892, when Sir Henry Beecher handed it over to the Board of Works. Today, Sherkin Friary is cared for as a National Monument.

Layout Of Friary
The friary is of moderate dimensions. It contains the usual church and domestic quarters. The orientation of the church is peculiar, owing, no doubt, to the position of the site on a sheltered slope. The doorway of the nave is not in the west as usual, but in the side wall facing southeast, and the axis of the church nave is about 30o to the north of true east. The architectural features are rather plain and without decoration, but are interesting owing to their simplicity and consequent suitability for a house of friars of the strict observance of St. Francis.

Restoration Work To Date
In July 1986, repair work commenced on Sherkin Friary. Loose stones were collected and stacked, grass and weeds were cut and ivy was cleared from the walls. The insides of the two arches in the transept were completely rebuilt. In June 1987, work started on the east wall of the kitchen or Chapter Room, and to the vaulting overhead. A large section of the main wall and a section of the vaulting (18" x 24") had to be taken down. The major stones were numbered and stacked and put back in their original positions during rebuilding. A closed door behind the buttress has been reopened, and the area over the kitchen or Chapter Room has been partly paved. The original stair from the cloister to the dormitory has been reopened and is now functioning.

Archaeological Excavation
During the summer of 1987, an archaeological excavation took place outside the west wall of the friary. A complex system of drainage was uncovered and artifacts ranging in date from the 15th century to the 19th century were found. A second excavation took place in April 1990, in the Chapter Room and cloister area.