KYLEMORE ABBEY
and
Gothic Church

Home of the Benedictine Nuns is situated in the Kylemore Pass in Connemara.The house was originally built in 1868 by Mitchell Henry as a gift for his wife Margret. The design is neo-gothic and the house displays all of the decorative features of the period.
The Benedictine Nuns bought the house in 1920 having fled their convent in Ypres, Belgium in 1914. They immediately set about re-establishing their international boarding school for girls (they had run a very successful school in Belgium for 300 years) which is still very much alive today .
Kylemore is open to visitors from March to October (on request throughout the remainder of the year). Visitor facilities include a visitor centre, an exhibition housed in the main reception rooms of the house and a video which takes the visitor through the varied history of the house and the people who have lived there.

Visitors may relax in the restaurant or browse in one of the best Craft shops in Connemara and watch the unique Kylemore Abbey Pottery being made in our studio. The jewel in the crown of Kylemore is the miniature cathedral - known locally as the Gothic Church. The church which was built by Mitchell Henry in 1870 is considered a building of national importance. It has just undergone extensive restoration work which took over three years to complete. The exterior of the church is of a rather dark limestone which contrasts with the light caen sandstone of the interior. Marble columns line the walls, the use of three distinct marbles, green Connemara, pink Kilkenny, and black Armagh add to the overall richness of the design. The sandstone is ornately carved with no motif or design repeated.


PHONE:00353 9541068
CROCNARAW HOMEPAGE