Ballybeg Priory (Irish: ), also known as Ballybeg Abbey, the Abbey of St Thomas, and St Thomas's Priory, is a 13th-century priory of the Augustinian order near the town of Buttevant, County Cork, Ireland. It is home to one of the best preserved and most substantial dovecots in Ireland. The priory was founded in 1229 and dissolved in 1541, the land and buildings passing into private hands. Those parts of the buildings that have escaped from the stone being removed for use in other buildings are mostly late medieval. Along with Bridgetown Priory near Castletownroche, Ballybeg priory is one of only two substantial Augustinian monasteries in County Cork. The abbey, dovecot, and nearby tower known both as Ballybeg Castle and as Ballybeg Tower, are collectively considered a National Monument in State Care (#301). History The priory was founded by either Philip de Barry or his son William in 1229. It is dedicated to Saint Thomas Becket, and was granted to the Canons Regular of St. Augustine. An equestrian statue of de Barry reportedly once stood in the church, in memory of his foundation. William's son, Philip's grandson, David Óg de Barry (the first Baron Barry), enlarged the revenues of the priory in either 1235, or 1251. The monks of Ballybeg were affluent: they had been granted 2,060 acres of land, and multiple rectories were appointed to them by means of advowson. A residential tower was added in the mid-15th century. Following dissolution in 1541, the abbey had various owners, before being acquired by the Jephson family in 1609. During this period, the priory's lands were farmed and tithes passed were passed to lay impropriators. Following this acquisition, much of the priory was quarried for stone, and the bell-tower was repurposed as a cow-byre. According to Samuel Lewis, writing in 1837, a stone coffin had at some previous time been excavated from the ruins of the abbey, inside of which was a skeleton adorned with a cross and golden chains. Architecture The monastery is built in the Early English Gothic style of architecture. Examples of "stiff-leaf" capital decoration can be found in the priory. The majority of the priory is in poor condition, and has been badly ruined, with the notable exception of the dovecot. A late-medieval tower stands to the north of the church. Though it is now a two-storey free-standing structure, it is thought to have once been taller