TIMOLEAGUE ABBEY
Timoleague, County Cork


Timoleague Abbey

It's unsure if Timoleague Abbey was founded by MacCarthy Reach, Lord Carbery in 1240 or William de Barry during the reign of Edward III because the buildings on the site date back to various periods. The original church was shorter than the current one and was probably lengthened when the tower portion was added by Edmund de Courcy, Bishop of Ross, at the end of the 1400s.

In 1612 the abbey was sacked by English soldiers who also smashed all of the stained glass windows, but much of the significant architecture remains, to include: the church, infirmary, finely detailed lancet windows,

View of estuary from inside abbey

refectory and a walled courtyard. There are also a section with a cloister and wine celler.

Though the structure was plain to the point of austerity, the friars living here had a penchant for the finer things in life, and indeed prospered because of their trade with Spanish wine merchants.

The friars remained in the abbey until 1629. Brother Michael O'Cleary visited the abbey around that time to copy manuscripts for the compliation of "The Annals of the Four Masters".


Timoleague Village

The abbey sits on the edge of Timoleague Village where streets are lined with colorful buildings and flower fronted pubs. The inlet from the Atlantic is just steps away.