Kylemore Abbey

The abbey

Kylemore Abbey sits on a small point of land at the edge of Kylemore Lough, on the N59 in Connemara, about three kilometres from the village of Letterfrack in County Galway. It is one of the most photographed buildings in the west of Ireland, and the view of it from the lough, with the hills behind, is the kind of image that has made the place famous. But the abbey is more than a view.

The building began life in the 1860s as a castle, built for Henry Blonville, who had made his fortune in the Lancashire textile industry, and it was a substantial house for its time. In 1920 the estate was bought by a community of Benedictine nuns, who have lived there ever since, and the castle became an abbey. The building is now a working monastery, a tourist attraction, and a place of quiet, all at once, and the three uses sit together better than they have any right to.

The gardens and the castle

The abbey is surrounded by a large estate, and the gardens and grounds are a good half day in themselves. There is a rose garden, a water garden, a woodland walk, and a series of views over the lake and the hills to the west. The castle itself is open to visitors, and the rooms are kept as they were, with a sense of the family who lived there.

The abbey church is open to the public, and the nuns' life goes on around you; it is a good place to sit for a while and listen.

When to go

The light is best in late afternoon, when the sun is low over the lake and the abbey is in full view. The gardens are at their best in late spring and early summer, and the lake is calmest in a still autumn morning.

Practical

The gardens and castle are ticketed; the abbey itself and the grounds are free to view from the shore. The village of Letterfrack is the nearest village, three kilometres off the N59, and a good base; Westport, about twenty-five minutes along the N59, is where the wider choice of stays is.