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Kylemore Abbey has been the home of the Benedictine nuns since 1920. The community
was founded in Ypres, Belgium in 1665 and it was established as an Irish monastery in 1682
when the nuns became known as De Iersche Damen da Ieper – The Irish Dames of Ypres.

The Benedictine order of monks and nuns was founded by St. Benedict of Nursia in 480 AD.
It is a monastic order which means that it is a community of monks or nuns who share a
common life, pray the Divine office in Choir and live under an Abbot or Abbess, according
to a code, known as the Rule of St. Benedict.

Following the destruction of their monastery in Ypres during World War 1, the nuns fled as
refugees to England and then eventually to Macmine Castle, County Wexford in 1916, before
finally settling in Kylemore, Connemara in 1920.

Central to the Benedictine ethos is a commitment to Ora et Labora (pray and work). For a
century here in Kylemore the Benedictine nuns have embodied that commitment through
their contemplative life of prayer and contemplation, along with their work in many areas.

Their dedicated commitment to the work of education and hospitality is reflected in the

visitor and developmental activities for which Kylemore has become famous. In 1923 the
nuns opened a prestigious boarding school and later a day school which was open for 90
years until 2010 and today Kylemore alumnae are to be found in all parts of the globe. The
nuns also established a working farm and later an iconic and successful visitor attraction
embracing the Victorian Walled Garden and Neo-Gothic Church.

In this way the nuns hold in trust for future generations the beautiful estate of Kylemore
Abbey, offering a place of beauty and spiritual contemplation to all who visit Connemara.
They also, in a practical way, support the lives of those in the area as employers and
stewards, sustaining this special place of heritage.

With a venerable tradition and heritage, the Benedictine nuns now look to the future with the
development of their new monastery. This important building at the heart of the estate will
provide a communal home for the growing community of nuns. The monastery will also be a
place where the prayer and work of the nuns will enrich the local region, Ireland and beyond.

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