A Visit to Muckross Abbey near Killarney in Ireland

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Our first stop in Killarney (after our visit to Dingle and boat trip to see the famous dolphin) was to visit Muckross Abbey. We arrived in the late afternoon, and a shower of rain welcomed us. The abbey is located a few miles outside of the town of Killarney. There isn't an entrance fee to visit the abbey, and it's about a 15-minute walk from the parking, so we were happy to walk around and explore at our own pace. The abbey itself is in ruins, but they are well-preserved. Historically, it is a Franciscan monestary, and it was formed around the year 1445. The monestary was dissolved under Henry VIII, but it was later reinstated in 1612. However, Cromwell chased the friars out in 1652. After this, it became a ruin.

muckross abbey

Of course, getting to the abbey in the pouring rain was a little bit of a struggle, but we had umbrellas to help keep us from getting too wet. The rain actually did stop during our walk. As mentioned, the walk to the ruins was 15-minutes, and it's down a paved pathway. Horses and carriages can drive down here.

muckross abbey

Some pretty wildflowers were along the paved walkway, and there are good views over the meadows. There was a tree in one meadow that looked like it has been hit by lightning.

muckross abbey

Finally, we arrived at the ruins and had a step back to take a look. There was still rain to contend with, but it was only light at this time.

muckross abbey

Before we went inside the ruins, we looked at the graves. A large graveyard surrounds the abbey ruins. Bram Stocker, who wrote Dracula, used to spend time in this graveyard, and he may have been inspired by it and its legends. One of the legends is of a man who was found eating a corpse, so maybe this is the inspiration for vampires. The graveyard is also meant to be haunted, and there are other ghost stories associated with it.

muckross abbey

We went inside the abbey and had a look at the ruins, many of which are open to the elements.

muckross abbey

muckross abbey

Enclosed cloisters were typical of Franciscan monestaries, and they always had a yew tree planted in the middle. The yew tree inside Muckross Abbey's cloisters is meant to be one of the finest examples, and the tree is thought to have been growing when the abbey was being built. Yew trees are popular in Irish graveyards and monestaries because they last for generations. The cloisters had vaulted ceilings, and these were intact, and I could also climb up to the second level and walk around to get some photographs.

muckross abbey

A series of tunnels exists at the ground and lower level, and this enclosed section is dark. I did not want to linger here long by myself as it felt slightly creepy. The photograph below shows what I believe are the storage rooms. The kitchen and refectory (dining hall) are opposite the cloisters area and enclosed.

muckross abbey

I had actually walked upstairs first so that I could explore from above. The below photograph is a part of the second level, and I believe they were part of theĀ dormitory. What looks like a fireplace can be seen in the photograph below.

muckross abbey

Another bit on the top level was above where the dining hall would be, and I could see the cloisters and tree from the windows on the left in the photograph below. There were also stairs on this level which looked like a third level existed at one point.

muckross abbey

This would have been a large fireplace on the second level.

muckross abbey

After we had a look around, we met back outside and walked around the front of the monestary. Actually, they had left me while I went to explore on my own. The abbey did have a sort of 'creepy' feel as I was alone most of the time. When we met underneath the large trees in front, the rain started up again, and it was coming down hard.

muckross abbey

We opened the umbrellas up and walked back, down the green and picturesque lane with the meadows on both sides. I think that this would be a beautiful place in the sunshine. In my next post, I'll post more about Killarney National Park and the Killarney Ring Road, so keep checking back.

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