Kylemore Abbey

About the museum

Kylemore Abbey began as a castle built by Mitchell Henry and his wife Margaret, who laid the foundation stone on 4 September 1867. The couple had seen the hunting lodge in the Kylemore valley on their travels in Connemara in the early 1850s, and Mitchell planned the castle as a love token for Margaret and a home for their growing family. During their years at Kylemore the Henrys developed the estate, and Mitchell Henry became a notable figure in Irish politics and social reform. A later owner was the Duke of Manchester, who lived there with his American wife, Helena Zimmerman.

For the past hundred years the building has been an abbey. The Benedictine nuns, whose community began in Brussels in 1598, came to Ireland as refugees from the First World War and settled at Kylemore in 1920. In 1923 they opened Kylemore Abbey School, a boarding and day school that closed in 2010.

Today the estate is owned by the Kylemore Trust, a non-profit organisation led by the nuns. A visitor experience opened in 2019 tells the story of the people who lived, worked, studied and prayed in the house, with photographs, audio-visual presentations, objects from the abbey archive, historical costumes and restored period rooms. The ticket also covers the neo-Gothic church, the mausoleum, woodland and lakeshore walks and the Victorian Walled Garden.

Highlights

• Restored period rooms and the “From Generation to Generation” visitor experience
• Neo-Gothic church and mausoleum
• Six-acre Victorian Walled Garden, reached by shuttle bus or a 1.8-km walk
• Woodland and lakeshore walks on a 1,000-acre estate
• Benedictine community living and working at the abbey

Permanent exhibitions

• The Abbey – From Generation to Generation – A visitor experience in the restored rooms of the abbey with photographs, audio-visual displays and objects from the archive telling the stories of the Henry family, the Duke of Manchester and the Benedictine nuns.
• Victorian Walled Garden – A six-acre restored garden with glasshouses, the head gardener’s house and a bothy, reached by shuttle bus or a 1.8-km walk.

Operated by

The Kylemore Trust (Benedictine nuns)

Admission & discounts

The ticket covers the restored rooms of the abbey (ground floor), the neo-Gothic church, the mausoleum, the woodland and lakeshore walks and the Victorian Walled Garden including the shuttle bus. Annual tickets are sold on site. Prices are those shown in the online ticket shop.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Access is partial: six of the nine open rooms in the abbey are accessible, the neo-Gothic church is not accessible for wheelchair users, and the garden shuttle bus is suitable for wheelchairs although some steep slopes and steps limit access to parts of the garden. The shop and café are fully accessible. A limited number of mobility scooters can be hired on site and wheelchairs can be borrowed. Dogs on a lead are welcome outdoors but may not enter the buildings or use the shuttle bus.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Playground / play area

Under-12s are free. Children can use a wild play area beside the Garden Tea House, see the pigs and Connemara ponies, and use colouring sheets and storybooks; half-price children’s meals are served in the café, and there are Easter and Halloween events. Under-18s must be accompanied by an adult.

Getting there & parking

The abbey is on the N59 between Clifden and Westport, about 80 km (50 miles) from Galway, 20 km (12.5 miles) from Clifden and 50 km (31 miles) from Westport. Bicycles can be hired in Clifden, and the estate has bike racks. Connemara roads are narrow.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant
• Museum shop

The Kylemore Kitchen is a self-service café, the Garden Tea House stands beside the Walled Garden, and the Craft & Design shop sells gifts. Entry to the estate is not required to eat at the Kylemore Kitchen.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit