Just "Plane" Exciting!: Connemara

Today we drove to Connemara in the rain. Although we had been drizzled on while traveling in the car, blown away by the wind at the cliffs, frozen at the Rock of Cashel, and hailed on in Glendalough, Killarney Park, and Cliffs of Moher, this was the first day that we actually were rained upon. It rained hard enough that we couldn't really see the beautiful lakes and mountains of the Connemara region, and we couldn't get out of the car to take pictures. We could see well enough to know that we would want to return here someday though!

Kylemore Abbey

Today was rainy, cold, and dreary, but we visited to Kylemore Abbey anyway, because we knew that this would be our only chance. The gloomy weather actually suited this imposing looking castle!

Kylemore Abbey is currently home to a community of nuns of the Benedictine Order who came here in 1920 after their abbey in Ypres, Belgium was destroyed in World War I. The nuns opened a boarding school for girls, and began restoring the Abbey, Gothic Church and Victorian Walled Garden.

Back before the nuns, in the mid-1800s, Connemara was a popular destination for hunting and fishing. Margaret and Mitchell Henry visited Connemara while on their honeymoon, and fell in love with it, returning often. On their visits, the Henry's rented Kylemore Lodge, the original building on the site where they later built the castle. When his father died, Henry used his inheritance to buy the lodge and build the castle and gardens. He provided jobs and a better way of life for the locals who were recovering from the Great Famine. Only three years after the castle was completed, Margaret Henry died.

In 1903, Mitchell Henry sold Kylemore Castle to the Duke and Duchess of Manchester. They lived a lavish lifestyle financed by the Duke's father-in-law. They immediately started renovating the castle, removing large amounts of Italian and Connemara marble, and removing a beautiful German stained glass window. The locals did not approve, and felt that these changes desecrated the memory of their beloved Margaret Henry. The Duke and Duchess left Kylemore in 1914 after the duchess' father died. One rumor says that the Duke lost Kylmmore in a game of cards, but the truth may be that funds dried up after the death of the Duke's father-in-law, and they could not afford to keep it. Whatever the reason, I'm glad that it was available when the Benedictine Order of nuns needed it, and glad that they have restored and maintained it. It is truly amazing.

The Gothic Church

We visited the beautiful Gothic Church on the grounds of Kylemore, and were so fortunate to be there at the right time to hear a concert by a visiting a Capella group.

Mitchell Henry built the church in memory of his wife. She died while they were vacationing in Egypt, leaving behind her husband and nine children. He couldn't stand the thoughts of burying her on foreign soil, so he brought her home to Kylemore. Originally the church was a place of Anglican worship, but was re-dedicated as a Catholic Church in 1920 when then nuns came. I think that now it is used mainly for concerts.

The view from the path leading to the Gothic Church

The Victorian Walled Gardens

Kylemore Abbey's Victorian Walled Garden was built by Mitchell Henry at the same time he built the castle. It originally had 21 heated glass houses, and 40 gardeners. Over the years, and under various owners, the garden was neglected and gradually fell into horrible disrepair, until by the 1990s it was completely overgrown with brambles and self-seeded trees. The nuns began restoration in 1995, determined to restore it to its original splendor, and in 2000 the garden was opened to the public.

It is AMAZING!