Kylemore Abbey

CHILLS....yes, that's what I got!  Mesmerized by this incredible beauty, Kylemore Abbey took my breath away!

                                           Kylemore Castle was built as a private home for the family of Mitchell Henry, a wealthy doctor from London whose family was involved in textile manufacturing in Manchester, England. He moved to Ireland when he and his wife Margaret purchased the land around the Abbey. He became a politician, becoming an MP for County Galway from 1871 to 1885. The castle was designed by James Franklin Fuller, aided by Ussher Roberts. Construction first began in 1867, and took one hundred men four years to complete. The castle covered approximately 40,000 square feet (3,700 m²) and had over seventy rooms with a principal wall that was two to three feet thick. The façade measures 142 feet (43 m) in width and is made of granite brought from Dalkey by sea to Letterfrack and from limestone brought from Ballinasloe. There were 33 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 4 sitting rooms, a 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. Other buildings include a Gothic cathedral and family mausoleum containing the bodies of Margaret Henry, Mitchell Henry and a great grand-nephew.
The Abbey remained in Henry's estate after he returned to England. The castle was sold to the Duke and Duchess of Manchester in 1909, who resided there for several years before being forced to sell the house and grounds because of gambling debts. In 1920 the Irish Benedictine Nuns purchased the Abbey castle and lands after they were forced to flee Ypres, Belgium during World War I. The nuns, who had been based in Ypres for several hundred years, had been bombed out of their Abbey during World War I. The nuns continued to offer education to Catholic girls, opening an international boarding school and establishing a day school for local girls. They were forced to close the school in June 2010.

 
 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                          Gothic Church

In 1874, Mitchell Henry and his beloved wife Margaret holidayed in Egypt – an exotic and popular destination in Victorian times.
 

Sadly, tragedy struck on the River Nile. Margaret contracted dysentery and died sixteen days later. She was beautiful, 45 years old and a mother of nine.

 

Mitchell immediately set about building a cathedral-in-miniature in memory of his wife Margaret. The beautiful gothic church is a testament of his love for Margaret.

Originally, the Gothic Church was a place of Anglican worship. Following the arrival of the Benedictine Nuns to Kylemore, it was                  re-dedicated as a Catholic Church in 1920.

Today, it is used to host musical recitals, poetry readings and cross-community celebrations.

 

 

 

 

 

                              Kylemore Abbey Garden

A Benedictine Abbey with a 6 acre Victorian Walled Garden, under restoration, facing Diamond Hill. A stream divides the Walled Garden into its two distinct areas - the Kitchen Garden and the Flower Garden. The planting style in the Flower Garden is that of the late Victorian era. The original garden, which is completely enclosed by a brick and limestone wall, was constructed around 1870 and laid out by the head gardener, James Garnier. The original 21 glasshouses were designed by Cranstons of Birmingham, two of which have now been restored. The building was originally known as Kylemore Castle and only became known as Kylemore Abbey in the 1920s when the community of nuns arrived after fleeing Ypres (Belgium) during the First World War.

                                               As you can see, we had a glorious day!  Tomorrow we head south to Kenmare where were will meet our cycling team (about 23 of us from Parker's Team) to begin our 6 day cycling tour around the Ring of Kerry. 

We have one stop on the way - The Cliffs of Moher.......stay tuned!!