The friary of St. Saviour on the north bank of the river Liffey, near the old bridge and now called king's inns. This house was founded between the years 1202 and 1218 by William Mareschall the elder, earl of Pembroke, for the health of his soul and that of his wife. Albinus, bishop of Ferns who exposed the infamies of English ecclesiastics at the synod held in Christ church under John Comyn and Hugh bishop of Ossory being the witnesses of the charter. This house was founded for Cistercians, but the Dominicans coming into Ireland AD 1224, the monks of St Mary's gave it to accommodate them on condition that they should yearly on the feast of the nativity offer a lighted taper at the abbey of St. Mary as an acknowledgment that this monastery did originally belong to the Cistercian order.
AD 1238 this church was dedicated to St. Saviour.
AD 1264 Friar John was appointed master of the order.
AD 1281 general chapters of the order were held here.
AD 1304 the church was consumed by an accidental fire.
AD 1308 John le Decer was mayor of Dublin in this year he was remarkably liberal to this monastery. On the sixth day in every week he entertained the friars of this house at his own table.
AD 1309 Richard Balbyn who had been some time minister of this order in Ireland, Philip de Slane, lecturer of the order, and Friar Hugh were appointed commissioners on the trial of the knights Templar.
AD 1316 on the approach of Edward Bruce with his army the citizens of Dublin destroyed the church of this friary converting its materials to the building of the city walls towards the quay. The king Edward II commanded the mayor and citizens of Dublin to restore the church to its former state.
AD 1328 the lord Arnold Poer, who was accused of heresy, died this year in the castle of Dublin and lay a long time unburied in this monastery.
AD 1361 on St. Maur's day the steeple of this church was destroyed by a violent tempest.
The last prior Patrick Hay surrendered to the royal commissioners and quitted the monastery. Sir Thomas Cusack was granted its possessions in the county of Meath consisting of one hundred and twenty acres with six messuages and again in the twentieth of Elizabeth the convent with divers properties in the city of Dublin was given to Gerald earl of Ormond forever in free soccage at the yearly rent of 20s Irish money.
The friars of this house were eminent promoters of literature in those days and in the year 1421 established a school of philosophy and divinity on Usher's island on this occasion it was that they succeeded in erecting a bridge over the Liffey since known as the Old Bridge. The Dominicans of Dublin are now engaged in erecting a new and splendid monastery.
