The Dominicans, a preaching order founded by Saint Dominic in the early 1200s, established houses in towns and rural settlements throughout the country, and Esker appears to have been among the lesser-known of these foundations. Friaries of this type were typically modest complexes, built around a church and cloister, and often depended on local patronage from Gaelic or Anglo-Norman families for their construction and upkeep.

Beyond the identification of the site as a Dominican friary at Esker, the surviving record at present offers very little in the way of specific detail about its foundation date, its patrons, or the extent of any remains that may still be visible above ground. What can be said is that Esker itself sits in east County Galway, a part of the province of Connacht where monastic and ecclesiastical sites are frequently encountered in the landscape, often with histories stretching back well before the Norman period. The Dominicans in Connacht were supported at various points by powerful local dynasties, and a foundation in this area would fit that broader pattern, though without firmer documentation it would be unwise to attach names or dates to this particular house.