Kylemore Abbey

Kylemore Abbey ( _ga. Mainistir na Coille Móire) is a Benedictine monastery founded in 1920 on the grounds of Kylemore Castle, in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. The abbey was founded when Benedictine Nuns fled Belgium in World War I.

Originally called Kylemore Castle, it was built between 1863 and 1868 as a private home for the family of Mitchell Henry, a wealthy politician from Manchester, England who was also MP for Galway County from 1871 to 1885. After the death of his wife Margaret in 1875, Mitchell did not spend much time there. He and his wife are both buried in the small mausoleum near the church in the grounds of the abbey. Notable features of the abbey are the neo-Gothic church (built between 1877 and 1881), a miniature replica of Norwich Cathedral, made from local green Connemara marble, and the Victorian walled garden.

The abbey houses a secondary girls' boarding school, Kylemore Abbey International Girls' School. The house and gardens are open to the public. The nuns have decided to close the school in 2010, although they do not plan to sell the property and will continue to reside there.

The name Kylemore originates from the Irish words "Coill Mór" – meaning "Great Wood".

See also

* List of abbeys and priories in Ireland (County Galway)

External links

* [http://www.kylemoreabbey.com/ Kylemore Abbey website] .
* [http://www.letterfrack.info/ Letterfrack] — official guide to Letterfrack, the Connemara National Park and Kylemore Abbey.