Kylemore Abbey
Built-in the 1860s by Mitchell Henry, an English Doctor, Industry Tycoon, Politician, and Pioneer, as a wedding gift for his wife, Margaret.
The 1000-acre Kylemore Abbey estate is the No. 1 must-see attraction in Connemara. The appeal of Kylemore is inseparable from its location.
The buildings are stepped into terraces overlooking the lake. There are two buildings to admire: the neo-gothic castle and a small chapel a short distance away. The chapel, designed by James Fuller in 1868, is an imitation of an English 14th century church.
In keeping with the fashion of the day, an extensive walled garden was constructed at the same time as the castle. One of the few formal walled gardens cultivated in an Irish bog, Kylemore’s Victorian Walled Garden uniquely uses plants and flowers that were introduced to Ireland before 1901.
Benedictine nuns acquired Kylemore in 1920 arriving at Kylemore as refugees having fled their monastery at Ypres, Flanders, during WWI. The Benedictine Nuns have a long-standing tradition of education and operated an International Boarding School here at Kylemore from 1923 to 2010.
