Kylemore Abbey is a Benedictine monastery and iconic visitor attraction set on 1,000 acres of mountainside in the heart of Connemara, Co Galway in the West of Ireland.
Owned by The Kylemore Trust, a non-profit organization led by the Benedictine Nuns, Kylemore is a place of spirituality and beauty to thousands of visitors and pilgrims.
Kylemore was built as a private home in 1868 and since 1920 it has been home to the Benedictine nuns who bought the estate after the destruction of their monastery in Ypres, Belgium in World War 1.
For over a century, the monastic community of nuns have lived, prayed and worked at Kylemore Abbey according to the Rule of St. Benedict.
They have preserved the beauty and heritage of Kylemore; educated generations of young women in their internationally renowned boarding and day school; and continue to welcome visitors and create employment in one of Ireland’s poorest regions.
Today, the Benedictine Community is growing in number – currently fourteen nuns from around the world live in monastic life there, residing in four different temporary and unsuitable locations on the grounds. Countries represented by the Community are Ireland, Germany, India, China, Philippines, and Italy.
Now, after 100 years at Kylemore they have completed the most important project in their 400-year history: a new Monastery and Education Center, providing a purpose-built home for their growing community of nuns alongside accommodation for visitors on short courses and spiritual retreats.
After several years of prayer, outreach and fundraising in Ireland and the United States, the nuns will move into their new purpose-built monastery later this year. Through the support of friends and benefactors, the nuns are looking forward to moving in early summer 2024!
The new Monastery will enable people of all faiths to engage with the monastic Benedictine tradition. It will also support new forms of education and outreach, following the closure of their school in 2010, due to changing social patterns. The nuns look forward to welcoming their many alumnae from around the world to visit, many of whom are involved and connected with their alma mater.
With the completion of the Monastery – a milestone in their history – they will have a much-needed home for their growing Community, for new vocations, and a space to welcome visitors on residential retreats and spiritual courses in the heart of beautiful Connemara.
Please join the Friends of Kylemore Abbey on Tuesday, April 9, for a special evening at Club 101 (101 Park Avenue in Manhattan) to celebrate the achievements of the Irish community when Kylemore Abbey will honor three outstanding individuals whose lives and achievements echo the “Spirit of Kylemore”.
For over 100 years the Benedictine nuns have made Kylemore Abbey into one of Ireland’s most iconic landmarks and a place of heritage, education, and faith. Their values of peace, service, hospitality, and community are reflected in the Spirit of Kylemore awards.
This year’s honorees are Liam Brown, Group President, US & Canada Marriott International, Nancy E. Delaney, Partner at Curtis Mallot-Prevost, Colt & Mosielp Utication Group and longtime friends Pat and Jim Tolan.
All funds raised for this event will go towards the building of a purpose-built monastery at Kylemore Abbey.
The evening includes food and drink, entertainment by Broadway star and former Phantom of the Opera star, Ciaran Sheehan, awards program, and auction.
The evening will also highlight the celebration as they reach their goal by the evening and the opening of the new monastery at Kylemore by early summer.
For more information on Kylemore Abbey, the Benedictine Community and to join via webcam for religious services www.kylemoreabbey.com.
To sign up for the Spirit of Kylemore awards event, visit www.irishap.org/events/spiritofkylemore-newyork-2024 .