Kylemore Abbey is a Benedictine monastery founded in 1920 on the grounds of Kylemore Castle, in Connemara

Connemara

Connemara is a district in the west of Ireland consisting of a broad peninsula between Killary Harbour and Kilkieran Bay in the west of County Galway.-Overview:...

, County Galway

County Galway

County Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...

, Ireland

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

. The abbey was founded for Benedictine Nuns

Benedictine

Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...

 who fled Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 in World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

.

History

Kylemore Castle was built as a private home for the family of Mitchell Henry

Mitchell Henry

Mitchell Henry was an English financier, politician and Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...

, a wealthy politician from Manchester

Manchester

Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 who was also an MP

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 for Galway

Galway

Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...

 County from 1871 to 1885. The castle was designed by James Franklin Fuller

James Franklin Fuller

James Franklin Fuller was an Irish actor, architect and novelist.-Life:Fuller was born in Derryquin, Sneem, County Kerry, the only son of Thomas Harnett Fuller of Glashnacree, County Kerry, by his first wife, Frances Diana, a daughter of Christopher Bland of Derryquin Castle...

 and Ussher Roberts. Construction first began in 1867, and took one hundred men four years to complete. The castle covered approximately 40000 square feet (3,716.1 m²) with over 70 rooms and the principal wall was two to three feet thick. The facade measured 142 feet (43.3 m) in length and is made of granite brought from Dalkey by sea to Letterfrack

Letterfrack

Letterfrack or Letterfrac is a small village in the Connemara area of County Galway, Ireland. It was founded by the Quakers in the mid-19th century. The village is 15 km north-east of Clifden on Barnaderg Bay and lies at the head of Ballinakill harbour...

 and limestone from Ballinasloe. There were 33 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 4 sitting rooms, ballroom, billiard room, library, study, school room, smoking room, gun room and various offices and domestic staff residences for the butler, cook, housekeeper and other servants.

Henry sold the castle to the Duke and Duchess of Manchester in 1903, who lived there several years. In 1920 the Irish Benedictine Abbeys purchased the castle and lands. Previously the nuns, who had been based in Ypres

Ypres

Ypres is a Belgian municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres and the villages of Boezinge, Brielen, Dikkebus, Elverdinge, Hollebeke, Sint-Jan, Vlamertinge, Voormezele, Zillebeke, and Zuidschote...

 for several hundred years, had been forced to leave during World War I. The nuns opened an international boarding school and established a day school for local girls, which closed in June 2010. Since the 70s, the Benedictine community have opened their Abbey and Estate to the public.

See also

• List of abbeys and priories in Ireland (County Galway)

External links

• Kylemore Abbey & Victorian Walled Gardens, Connemara, County Galway, Ireland.
• Kylemore Abbey website.
• Letterfrack — official guide to Letterfrack
  Letterfrack
  Letterfrack or Letterfrac is a small village in the Connemara area of County Galway, Ireland. It was founded by the Quakers in the mid-19th century. The village is 15 km north-east of Clifden on Barnaderg Bay and lies at the head of Ballinakill harbour...
  
  , the Connemara National Park
  Connemara National Park
  Connemara National Park is one of six National Parks in the Republic of Ireland that are managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. It is located in the west of Ireland within County Galway.-History:Connemara National...
  
  and Kylemore Abbey.