Kylemore Abbey facts for kids
| Mainistir na Coille Móire | |
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Kylemore Abbey with Doughruagh behind
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 Location in Ireland
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| Monastery information | |
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| Order | Benedictines |
| Established | 1920 |
| Diocese | Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora |
| People | |
| Founder(s) | Benedictine nuns from Ypres, Belgium |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Active |
| Style | Victorian |
| Site | |
| Location | Connemara, County Galway, Ireland |
| Coordinates | 53°33′42″N 9°53′22″W / 53.5617067°N 9.8894343°W |
| Public access | Yes |
Kylemore Abbey (Irish: Mainistir na Coille Móire) is a beautiful Benedictine Monastery located in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. It was started in 1920 on the land of Kylemore Castle. The Abbey became home to Benedictine nuns who had to leave Belgium during World War I.
Today, Kylemore Abbey is still a working Benedictine monastery. It also welcomes many visitors, making it one of Ireland's top tourist spots. The Kylemore Trust looks after the Abbey, its spiritual mission, and its natural and built heritage for the people of Ireland.
Contents
A Look Back: Kylemore's Story
Kylemore Castle: A Family Home
Kylemore Castle was built in 1868. It was a private home for the family of Mitchell Henry. He was a rich doctor from London. His family worked in textile manufacturing in Manchester, England. Mitchell and his wife Margaret bought the land around the Abbey after their honeymoon in the 1840s. He later became a politician, serving as an MP for County Galway from 1871 to 1885.
The castle was designed by James Franklin Fuller. It took four years and about one hundred men to build. The castle was very large, covering about 3,700 square meters (40,000 sq ft). It had over seventy rooms! The main walls were very thick, about two to three feet.
The front of the castle was 43 meters (142 ft) wide. It was built using granite from Dalkey Quarry, brought by sea to Letterfrack. Limestone from Ballinasloe was also used. Inside, there were 33 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, and many living areas. These included a ballroom, a library, and a school room. There were also homes for the butler, cook, and other staff.
Sadly, Margaret died in 1874 from a fever she caught in Egypt. After her death, Mitchell Henry spent less time at Kylemore. He built a special Gothic chapel and a family mausoleum as a memorial to her. The mausoleum holds the bodies of Margaret Henry, Mitchell Henry, and a great-grandnephew.
After Mitchell Henry returned to England, the castle was sold. In 1903, the Duke and Duchess of Manchester bought it. They lived there for several years. However, they had to sell the house and land because of gambling debts.
The Benedictine Nuns Arrive
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The Benedictine nuns who live at Kylemore Abbey have a long history. Their community started in Brussels in 1598. Over time, they moved to Ghent and then to Ypres. Many daughters of Irish noble families joined the Abbey in Ypres as students and nuns.
In 1920, these Irish Benedictine Nuns bought Kylemore Castle and its lands. They had to leave Ypres because of World War I. Their Abbey in Ypres was bombed during the war. Soldiers from the 8th Battalion of the Royal Munster Fusiliers helped rescue them. They were then taken to England, where they stayed until 1920.
Once at Kylemore, the nuns started a farm on the estate. They raised animals and grew vegetables. The Abbey became an important place for jobs in the area.
The nuns also continued their tradition of educating girls. They opened a boarding school in 1923. They also had a day school for local girls. For almost a century, this school was the main place for girls to learn in areas like Renvyle and Letterfrack. However, the school had to close in 2010. Since then, the nuns have been creating new educational and retreat programs.
In July 2022, Kylemore Abbey joined the English Benedictine Congregation. Two other new communities of nuns, Mariavall Abbey from Sweden and Jamberoo Abbey from Australia, also joined.
Learning and Nature at Kylemore
University of Notre Dame Partnership
Since 2015, Kylemore Abbey has worked with the University of Notre Dame from the United States. The Abbey hosts special learning programs for Notre Dame students. The university has even updated parts of the Abbey for these programs.
The programs started in 2016 with about 100 students. Important people, including judges and ambassadors, attended the opening ceremony. Notre Dame's business school, the Mendoza College of Business, holds some of its leadership courses at Kylemore. Art classes, where students paint outdoors, and music master classes, like one taught by Sir James Galway (a famous flute player), have also been held there.
Biodiversity Program
In 2021, the Kylemore Abbey Biodiversity Stewardship Programme began. This program works with the School of Natural Sciences at the University of Galway. It helps to record and study all the different plants and animals living on the Kylemore estate. Students can do research here, learning about nature.
Beautiful Gardens
The Kylemore Estate has large, beautiful walled Victorian Gardens. These gardens have been open for public tours and nature walks since the 1970s. The Benedictine community has worked hard to restore the Abbey's gardens and church. They used donations and help from local artists. This helps the estate to support itself.
The gardens include a Kitchen Garden, where food is grown, and a lovely flower garden. The original walled garden was designed in 1870 by the head gardener, James Garnier. A full restoration of the gardens started in 1995, bringing them back to their former glory.
Kylemore in the Media
Kylemore Abbey has been featured on TV shows. It appeared in the UK cooking show Two Fat Ladies in 1998. The hosts, Jennifer Paterson and Clarissa Dickson-Wright, cooked dinner for the Benedictine nuns living at the Abbey.
In 2020, Kylemore Abbey and the nuns were shown on RTE's Nationwide TV program. This celebrated 100 years of the Benedictine order at the Abbey. Kylemore also featured in Heaven Made, a show about nuns and monks making traditional gifts for Christmas.
See also
In Spanish: Abadía de Kylemore para niños
- List of abbeys and priories in Ireland (County Galway)
- List of tourist attractions in Ireland
