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INTRODUCTION

Welcome to Kylemore Abbey and Victorian Walled Garden.
This is our story so far!

Watch Our Welcome
Video Here
Kylemore Abbey is a beautiful castle that sits beneath a mountain in Connemara
County Galway. The Castle was built over 150 years ago by a wealthy English man called Mitchell Henry.
He built the Castle for his wife Margaret and their nine children. The first brick was laid in September 1867.
The castle was finished in 1871. This was a time that we refer to as the Victorian era as Queen Victoria was the
queen of England then. Ireland was still a part of the British empire at that time.

The Henry family left Kylemore in 1902 and the castle was sold to the Duke and Duchess of Manchester.
The duke and duchess were a rich and glamorous couple who had three children including Louise who was born
in the castle. Unfortunately, the duke was not very good with money and, therefore, he had to sell the castle.

Today Kylemore Abbey is home to a community of nuns call the Benedictines.
The nuns peacefully live their lives, praying together five times a day. They also work every day, creating
crafts such as soaps, candles and delicious handmade chocolates. For hundreds of years, the nuns lived in
Belgium in an ancient abbey in a town called Ypres. Sadly, Ypres was bombed at the beginning of WW1 and,
like thousands of others, the nuns became refugees and had to flee. The Benedictine community arrived at
Kylemore in 1920, changing its title from castle to abbey. The nuns own and run Kylemore Abbey and its
grounds so that people from all over the world can come to enjoy its history, beauty and peaceful atmosphere.

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