from History of Kylemore
Castle & Abbey by Kathleen Villiers-Tuthill "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, KylemoreLake, 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."
Kylemore Abbey was built by Manchester textile
tycoon Michael 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, which has
just been reopened in 2000 after restoration
brought it back to lord Henry's original design.
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
Mitchell Henry in building his castle and
developing his estate brought employment and
prosperity to the region and saved many a
Connemara family from emigration.
.
Gothic church
Tragedy struck the family when Henry's beloved
wife died after contracting Nile Fever in
1874. In her honor he commissioned the building
of the Gothic Cathedral, which is situated
at the far end of the estate and is accessibly
by the tree-lined footpath. It's an exact
replica of Norwich Cathedral in England. His
wife was embalmed and her body buried in the
mausoleum next to the church.
Note:
Each of the pillars inside the church is made
from four different colors of marble. Red,
black and white marbles come from quarries
in Cork, Kilkenny and Armagh. The green is
from Connemara and is well known around Ireland
as Connemara Marble. Each of the four colors
represent each of the four provinces of Ireland
- Munster, Leinster, Ulster and Connacht.
.
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. But not long after
it was sold to an order of Benedictine Nuns
who still run a private girls school there
today.
Note:
Though the house is mainly closed to the public
they DO have a few rooms open in the front
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. You can also see
the main drawing room, which by all appearances
looks as if it's waiting for guests.
Chruch interior
Walk down the path towards the
church through a tree lined path. Use the
leaflet you're given for the Lake Walk to
tell you about the trees. A leaflet is also
available to tell you more about the church.
Also on site is a pottery, which
is known for making the famous Kylemore Pottery.
As well there is a café here and gift shop.
Your entry includes an audio/visual show and
tour of the Medieval styled Gardens.
