Sorted by: Benedictine Monastic Sites
Fore Abbey, Benedictine, Co. Westmeath
It was founded around 1200 by Hugh De Lacy. It is the only remaining Benedictine abbey in Ireland. Abbey ruins, holy wells, a ruined medieval mill and church plus an extravagant newer church (a former hermit cell) create a unique place.
Glenstal Castle / Benedictine Abbey, Co. Limerick
A 500 acre estate with streams, lakes and woodland paths, surrounds a castle built in 1830 for the Barringtons in the romantic Norman style. It was sold in 1927 to an order of Benedictine monks from the Maredsous Abbey in Belgium.
Holy Cross Abbey, Benedictine, Cistercian, Co. Tipperary
Built by Donal Mor O' Brien for the Benedictines in 1168, the abbey transferred to the Cistercians in 1182. The Sacristan of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican provided an authenticated relic of the Holy Cross in 1977, and the emblem of the Crusader Cross, has been restored for the Abbey.
Hore Abbey, Benedictine, Cistercian, Cashel, Co. Tipperary
Hore Abbey was founded by the Benedictines at the end of the 12th century but was taken over by Cistercians from Mellifont in 1272. It was the last pre-Reformation Cistercian foundation in Ireland. The ruins are now surrounded by fields of sheep and cattle and can be accessed by the public.
Kylemore Benedictine Abbey and Victorian Walled Gardens, Co. Galway
It is now home to Bendictine nuns. The estate comprises a gothic-style house, built originally as a castle in 1868, now an Abbey, a miniature Gothic Cathedral and a 6-acre Victorian Walled Garden (winner of the prestigious Europa Nostra Award in 2002). Visitors may explore the grounds but not the main building.