KYLEMORE ABBEY
Kylemore, Connemara, County Galway

"The name Kylemore Abbey is a misnomer when one considers that the building to which it refers does not stand in Kylemore, but actually stands in the townland of Pollacappul: Kylemore townland lies a little to the east. Neither is the lake, visible from the tall front windows of the Abbey, Kylemore Lake, but is rather Lough Pollacappul. In fact at no time in the one hundred and forty year history of the Kylemore Estate was the townland of Kylemore included among its 15,000 acres."

There are a number of areas at this site to visit —

Kylemore Castle

Kylemore Abbey was built by Manchester textile tycoon Mitchell Henry in the 1860's and was a present to his beloved wife. They'd fallen in love with the area when on their honeymoon in 1849 and reportedly spent £155,000 to buy the land. They spent a further £250,000 to create a fantastical dream world. Boggy land was drained and thousands of trees were planted to serve as a windbreak for the Medieval styled fruit orchard and exotic gardens.

During this time Henry entered into politics and eventually became a Galway MP, Member of Parliament (today's equivalent is the TD, Teach Dail). Locals felt that Henry was "close to Almighty God" because he was a fair man and fair employer. The vast sums spent by Henry in building his castle and developing his estate brought employment and prosperity to the region and saved many a Connemara family from emigration during the Famine years.

Tragedy struck the family when Henry's beloved wife died after contracting Nile Fever in 1874. Then in 1892, Henry's daughter was killed in a freak accident when her horse threw her into a nearby river. Henry was so overwhelmed with grief that he put the estate up for sale in 1894 but was taken off market when the estate failed to fetch a reasonable price. It was finally sold to a US tycoon named Zimmerman from Cincinnati, Ohio as a gift for his daughter, the Duchess of Manchester.

The Abbey

Kylemore Abbey is the oldest of the Irish Benedictine Abbeys. The Benedictines were founded in Ypres, Belgium in 1665. The purpose of the abbey at Ypres was to provide a religious community and education for Irish women during times of persecution. Through the centuries, the abbey attracted the daughters of the Irish nobility and enjoyed the patronage of many influential Irish families living in exile. By request of King James II, the nuns moved to Dublin in 1688, but returned to Belgium following James' defeat at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. The community finally left Belgium when their abbey was destroyed in World War I. The community took refuge in England, but soon moved to County Wexford. When the opportunity to purchase Kylemore Castle came up they jumped at the chance, settling into the house in December 1920. Once settled, the nuns reopened their international boarding school and established a day school for local girls.

Though the house is mainly closed to the public they DO have a few rooms open on the ground floor of the house. Around the foyer inside the house you will see panels that outline particular pieces of the estates history and paintings of the Henry family. Leaflets and other information are available in this room. The first room you'll see is the stunning main drawing room, which by all appearances looks as if it's waiting for guests.

When you're ready to continue, take a stroll along the Lake Walk to the church. Use the leaflet you're given on entry to tell you about the trees, many of which were collected during the time of the Henry's from all over the world.
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The Miniature Cathedral

When Mitchell Henry lost his wife, he commissioned the building of the Gothic Cathedral in her honor. It's situated at the far end of the estate and is accessibly by the Lake Walk, a tree-lined footpath. The church is an exact replica in miniature of Norwich Cathedral in England. Henry's wife was embalmed and her body buried in the mausoleum next to the church.

The church is an incredible work of art and includes a crypt, projecting corner buttresses and handcarved angelic gargoyles.

On the interior, gothic arches are supported by columns of marble from each province of Ireland — red marble from Ulster, black marble from Leinster, white marble from Munster, and green from the local region, Ir Connaught, and known as Connemara Marble. In the south transept, a stunning stained glass tracery window depicts the five graces: Fortitude, Faith, Charity, Hope and Chastity.

The Victorian Walled Garden

The garden is on abbey property but is actually about one mile from the castle. Set on 3.4 hectares (about 8.5 acres), 2.4 hectares (6 acres) is actually completely enclosed by wall made of brick and limestone. The original garden was laid out at the same time the castle was constructed. The Henry's head gardener as James Garnier. Glasshouses were designed by Cranstons of Birmingham, England. They were so large that one could walk from one end of the garden to the other on inclement days. The glasshouses were heated by three boilers, one of which doubled as a limekiln, and a complex underground hot-water system that measured three miles in length!

Due to the size of the garden, it provided fresh flowers for rooms in the house, and fresh fruit and vegetables

for the Henry family. Unfortunately, when the house came under the ownership of the Duke and Duchess of Manchester, the gardens went into decline without proper care, or a head gardener. However, once the property became property of the Benedictine's, nuns hired a head gardener who took charge and managed the garden for as long as it was financially possible. It wasn't long before the flower gardens became a wilderness and the glasshouses collapsed.

Two of the glasshouses have been restored, along with James Garnier's House and workman's Bothy. And in 2000, the nuns opened a partially restored garden. The garden today is a stunning example of a Victorian Walled Garden. A stream divides the enclosed section of the garden into two areas...the kitchen garden and the flower garden.

Geometrical shaped flowerbeds, typical of the Victorian era, are set around lawns which slope down to a central footpath. Above, twenty-one new glasshouses are home to exotic fruits and plants.

The kitchen garden is divided into four areas. Vegetables and herbs are grown on raised lazy beds which facilitates good drainage.

The School

Kylemore Abbey has run an all-girls school here for around eighty years. It's one of the loveliest locations in the country and offers a first rate education for student who are guided by the nuns through their Secondary Education, and who are prepared for their Junior Certificate and their Leaving Certificate...the equivalent of high school and final exams. Courses offered are wide ranging, including languages, the sciences, the arts, history, etc. Career guidance and counseling are also offered as part of school services.

Unfortunately, the school is due to close in August 2010, allowing current students to complete their full Secondary Education. The decision was made based on the low numbers of women joining the order in recent years.
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The Pottery

Kylemore Abbey Pottery has been in operation since the mid-1970s and is recognizable by its bright red fuchsia design. Fuchsia is called Deora Dé, which translates to the Tears of God, so it's apt that the abbey chose this flower for their pottery. As well, in the summer months, this flower blooms in abundance around the Connemara region.

The pottery used time-honored traditional techniques to produce its stunning designs. Visitors can watch the process, from throwing the clay, the design process, see drying and kiln areas, decorating and glazing to the finished product.

The Craft and Retail Shop

From the pottery, visitors can purchase Kylemore Abbey Pottery in the shop, along with a wonderful range of other Irish made items, from home decor, garments and jewelry. Visitors can also pick up a jar or two of Kylemore's famous homemade jam. Give it a try in the cafe then take some home with you.

Profits generated from the shop go toward upkeep of the Benedictine community at Kylemore and continued restoration of the grounds.

The Mitchell Henry Restaurant

This 200-seat restaurant is self-service and offers traditional Irish dishes, including Irish Stew, Cottage Pie, Beef and Guinness Pie, Fish and Chips, etc. There is also a wide selection of Kylemore jams to accompany scones. Lighter meals also available, including soup with brown bread and sandwiches. All fresh ingredients are products of the Kitchen Garden in the restored Victorian Walled Garden. All baked goods are also produced on-site.

Reforestation - Forest Friends of Kylemore Abbey

The word Kylemore originated from the Irish “Coill Mór”, which means Big Wood. The name was given to the region because of the hanging wood on the northside of the lake at Kylemore. A hanging wood is a woodland that grows up hills and mountain slopes and cliff faces. The Irish landscape was dominated by ancient Irish oaks for millennia, but millions of trees were deforested after the coming of the Norman's right through the 19th century. Irish oak was preferred for shipbuilding and timber can still be found in many historic homes and buildings in England. Mitchell Henry realized the forests had been depleted and set about to plant thousands of trees. Most of them were native oaks, some conifers, and some specimen trees from around the world, as it was a hobby of many of the affluent of this generation.

Sponsor a Tree Kylemore Abbey continues Mitchell Henry's reforestation of the area through donations and through and "adopt a tree" program. Since 1995 when the program was stepped up, Kylemore Abbey has seen to the planting of more than 10,000 trees, including native oak and ash. isitors can sponsor a tree in memory of a loved one or to commemorate a special occasion...or just because. Each sponsor will receive a Tree Certificate that has the sponsor's chosen tree type (oak or ash), unique sponsorship number and recipient's name. There is no limit to the number of trees one can sponsor. While helping to reforest the region, sponsors are also helping to preserve the unique climate in the region.