Kilmacduagh Monastery is tucked away
in the quiet countryside near the market
town of Gort and set against the backdrop
of the Burren
Mountains. Kilmacduagh's oldest buildings
date back to the 11th century, but the
site as a whole was founded in the 7th
century by St. Colman Mac Duagh (Colman,
son of Duagh).
Five churches, a round tower and abbot's
house are all that remain of this once very
prosperous settlement
Visitor's are encouraged to begin their
exploration by walking over to Tower View
Villa B&B across the street to get the
master key for the locks on the buildings.
There is a 5
deposit and a short history of the site
is available from the innkeeper, Lily, for
2.50.
Grab a copy of this guide before getting
started. It will be invaluable as you wander
through the buildings.
Be SURE that if anyone comes into the buildings
after you that you either wait for them to
finish looking around before locking up, or
make sure that you designate a gatekeeper
in their party who will lock up when they're
done. YOU have the key so therefor YOU are
responsible for the safety and protection
of the buildings and the people in them while
you are in possession of the key.
Cathedral window
Collage of
stone carvings on the site
The best place to start your tour of the
monastery is in Kilmacduagh Cathedral and
O'Shaunghnessy Chapel. The earliest part
of this building dates back to the 11th
century to replace the original wooden church
with the current one of stone. Monasteries
were popular places to plunder because of
the wealth of gold and gems, and wood burns
easily, but not so stone. In the 13th century,
Kilmacduagh saw many plunderings, but the
site went onto be one of the most important
in the Galway region until the Reformation.
As lay patrons of the cathedral, the ancient
family of O'Shaughnessy's were privileged
to be buried within the walls of the cathedral.
Dated 19 January 1671, Sir Dermot O'Shaughnessy's
will makes reference to "...the tomb
where my ancestors were buried." The
tomb was probably constructed in the 16th
century and is the burial place of the first
baronet of Gort, the first Sir Dermot O'Shaughnessy
who married an O'Brien (rulers of Clare).
There is an impressive carving of Jesus on
the cross with Our Lady and St. John at his
feet over the tomb entrance. (see collage
left)
To the right of the O'Shaughnessy tomb are
the Reredos Slabs (decorative stone from behind
the altar). It's suspected that during restoration
work in 1879 that these slabs were rescued
from the first stone church, possibly Teampalbeg
Macduagh, which is little more than a stone
wall to the left of the round tower away from
the main site.
There are two slabs here -- one is similar
to that on the tomb with Jesus on the cross
with Our Lady and St. John at his feet, the
other is of St. Colman himself as Bishop of
Kilmacduagh holding the famous crozier.
The cathedral has many stone carvings. It's
worth taking your time to look at all of them.
Beside the cathedral is the
impressive round tower, also known as the
Leaning Tower of Kilmacduagh. This structure
dates back to the 10th century and served
as a belfry, watch tower, treasury and places
of refuge from marauders. Kilmacduagh is one
of the tallest of its kind, measuring 34 meters
from the ground, or about 37 yards or 111.50
feet. The round tower at Glendalough
is 33 meters high, 36 yards, or about 108.25
feet -- just 3.25 inches shorter.
Round Tower
It's a wonder that this round
tower is still standing as it had little
foundation and is built on very soft soil.
One might think out photo (right) is out
of alignment, when in fact the cross is
perfectly straight. The tower leans two
feet out of true.
Another unusual feature of the tower is the
doorway. Typically, the entrance would have
been built 10-12 feet from the ground. The
one here is a staggering 26 feet from the
ground. Beneath the tower is the site of an
ancient burial ground. The interior has seven
floors that would have all been constructed
in wood.
Church of
St. John the Baptist
Across the road from the cathedral is the
ruin of Temple Mary, also known as Our Lady's
Temple. This church is of 13th century construction
and it's thought to have been built with
the stones from another church. It lacks
the adornments of the other churches on
the site so it's use is actually unknown.
Across the grassy field is the ruin of
the Church of St. John the Baptist, the
Oratory of St. John. All that remains of
this church is an end gable with what could
have been a window or door way. Interestingly
enough, this building has the oldest masonry
on the site, much of it from the 10th century
like the tower.
Next is Glebe House, Glebe meaning an ecclesiastical
benefice. This building is known as an abbots
house, or locally as Seanclogh, Clergy's House.
Built in the 14th century, this building is
of the newest construction. Glebe house was
both a bishop's residence and seminary for
the education of priests.
The building is actually a fortified structure
with loopholes and a murder hole! At one time
a small garrison was stations at Kilmacduagh
and would have lived in this building, as
there is also a guard tower in evidence. Glebe
House is the only building on the site that
has been restored and open to the public to
view the upper interior construction.
Finally, O'Heynes Church/Abbey is set at
the northernmost side of the site, behind
Glebe House and the visitor's car park. This
church was built in the first half of the
13th century and features some wonderful stone
carvings (see collage above) and double Romanesque
windows. These windows have been compared
to
Glebe House/Seanclogh
O'Heynes Church
those at Clonfert and Clonmacnoise, and measure
8.5 feet in height each. It's possible that
while the church is of 13th century construction
that the windows could date back to the 11th
century as part of an earlier structure.
Kilmacduagh saw many plunderings during the
time of the Vikings. In the 10th century in
particular there is a mention of the site
being raided. This was in the year of 920AD.
Moal Mac Duagh, lord of the territory at that
time, was killed by Danes. In 932AD, the grandson
of Sitric the Dane, Harold, was killed near
the monastery by an O'Heyne.
The monastery suffered other Viking raids
but there was a time of relative peace one
Brian Boru became Ard Ri (high king) of Ireland.
Boru sponsored the restoration of the monastery
in the late 10th century. Boru not only favored
giving any wealth he had to the Church, his
wife was also an O'Heyne, so that probably
had something to do with his interest in Kilmacduagh
as well.
Kilmacduagh has a much longer and deeper
history than I've detailed here. Make the
point of seeing this site, take your time
and see it leisurely. And while you're at
it, don't forget to stop by St. Colman's Tomb,
which lies behind the cathedral, to pay our
respects. It's said that those with back ailments
can be cured by laying on the slab over his
grave!
5
deposit and a short history of the site
is available from the innkeeper, Lily, for
Be SURE that if anyone comes into the buildings
after you that you either wait for them to
finish looking around before locking up, or
make sure that you designate a gatekeeper
in their party who will lock up when they're
done. YOU have the key so therefor YOU are
responsible for the safety and protection
of the buildings and the people in them while
you are in possession of the key. 
