Kylemore Abbey & Walled Garden
Kylemore is the ideal destination for a day out with something for all the family from nature trails to tree tracing, baby Donkeys, trainee gardening programs, traditional home cooked meals and history galore. Bring the kids to one of Ireland’s most romantic Castles and capture the essence of Kylemore.
Visit the Abbey, Gothic Cathedral, Walled Garden, Mausoleum, Tea Rooms and Gift Shop. Also learn about the Benedictine Community in residence.
History
The Castle was built by Mitchell and Margaret Henry from 1867 – to 1871. Before the arrival of the Henry’s, Connemara was a popular destination for hunting and fishing and Mitchell Henry became one of the growing number of Irish and English gentlemen who visited Connemara during the fishing season. Tradition has it that the couple visited Connemara while on their honeymoon and were enchanted by the beauty of the landscape. It was the couple’s wish someday to own a home there and it is said that during those visits, the Henry’s rented Kylemore Lodge, the original building on the site where they later built Kylemore Castle. Click here for more on history.
Kylemore Abbey
Prior to Kylemore becoming an Abbey, it was built as a Castle and the first stone was laid in 1867, took four years to complete with construction costs coming to a little over £29,000.
The Castle covered approximately 40,000 square feet with over 70 rooms and the principal wall was two to three feet thick. The facade measured 142 feet in length and is made of granite brought from Dalkey by sea to Letterfrack and limestone from Ballinasloe.
There were 33 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 4 sitting rooms, ballroom, billard room, library, study, school room, smoking room, gun room and various offices and domestic staff residences for the butler, cook, housekeeper and other servants. Click here for more info on the Abbey.
Gothic Church at Kylemore Abbey Connemara
A very beautiful Gothic Church was built in the memory of Margaret Henry and is sometimes referred to as the Taj Mahal of Ireland. It was designed by James Franklin Fuller who also designed Ashford Castle. Work began on the church in 1877 but it was not completed until 1881.
The Church was designed to be a ‘cathedral in miniature’ and the interior is said to have been suggested by the beautiful Chapel of St Stephen’s at Westminster. It highly decorative and used marbles from the different provinces of Ireland for the pillars; the green marble of Connemara (Connaught), the red marble of Cork (Munster) and the black marble of Kilkenny (Leinster). Click here for more info on the Gothic Church.
Victorian Walled Gardens at Kylemore Abbey Connemara
One mile west of the main Abbey building are the 6-acre Victorian Walled Gardens, built by Mitchell Henry at the same time as the construction of Kylemore Castle between 1867 and 1871.
This garden was one of the last walled gardens to be built during the Victorian period in Ireland and is the only garden in Ireland that is located in the middle of a bog. The garden was so advanced for the time that it was even compared with Kew Gardens in London.
Huge engineering feats were successfully employed to heat the 21 glasshouses that were originally built to house exotic fruits and plants. These glasshouses were heated by three boilers, one of which doubled as a limekiln, and a complex system of underground hot-water pipes measuring 1,538 meters (5,000 feet) in length. Click here for more info on the Walled Garden.
Mausoleum
Margaret Henry sadly died in Egypt, in 1874, just three years after the completion of the Castle. She had fallen ill with dysentery and died within 16 days at the age of 45. Her remains were brought back to Kylemore and laid to rest in the Mausoleum on the grounds. When Mitchell Henry died on the in 1910, his ashes were brought back to Kylemore and laid to rest next to his beloved wife, Margaret, in the mausoleum in the grounds of their dream home. Click here for more info on the Mausoleum.
Dining at the Mitchell Henry Restaurant Kylemore Abbey
The 200-seat self-service Mitchell Henry Restaurant boasts delicious traditional Irish dishes, freshly made on a daily basis by our chefs. Fresh ingredients from the Kitchen Garden of the recently restored 6-acre Victorian Walled Gardens are used in our menus. Our freshly baked fruit scones are known across the globe, as are our freshly prepared soups, crusty brown bread and the all-time favourite Apple Pie. Click here for more info on the Restaurant.
Shopping @ Kylemore Abbey Gardens Connemara
Before you leave Kylemore take a look into our craft shop and retail centre.
You will find a huge variety of Irish and International giftware such as Galway Crystal, Belleek, Alan Ardiff Handmade silver jewellery, the Muckros Range of linen and fabric handbags, Barbour clothing and accessories, Grainne Breslin mirrors hand crafted from burnt steel, Jimmy Hourihan ladies capes and throws to name but a few of the high quality brands. Click here for more info on the Gift Shop.
The Benedictine Community
Kylemore Abbey is the oldest of the Irish Benedictine Abbeys. The community of nuns, who have resided here since 1920, have a long history stretching back almost three hundred and forty years.
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Further Information
For further information about Kylemore and opening times, consult their website: www.kylemoreabbeytourism.ie.
