churches historical galway

Kylemore Abbey, founded on the grounds of Kylemore Castle, is the oldest of the Irish Benedictine Abbeys. The Benedictine Order, who have lived here since 1920, have a long history and were founded in Belgium in 1665. The nuns fled Belgium in WWI and took up home in the former castle in 1920.
The building itself was built between 1863 and 1868 for a Manchester politician by the name of Mitchell Henry. Both he and his wife are buried here. Important fearures of Kylemore Abbey include the...

The saint's festival is on 16 July, when pilgrims come to the island from the mainland. The saint was venerated so much by sailors that they lowered their sails in his honour when they passed the island. The church is a small rectangular structure built of very large stones. It has a flat-headed doorway and a round-headed east window.

The most unusual feature of this church is that the antae continue right up the gable and meet at the top, thus suggesting that this is a feature copie...

A diminutive early church or oratory, prominently situated on a bare limestone ridge above the village of Killeany on Inishmore, largest of the three Aran Islands in Galway bay. It takes its name from a fifth-century saint, Benen or Benignus, but is later than his time.

It is however of considerable antiquity and several of its features are indicative of a date possibly in the eight or ninth century: the steeply pitched gables, narrow trabeate doorway with inclined jambs, and the except...

Located in Galway Bay in the West of Ireland lie the Aran Islands. Islands so rich in culture, history and heritage they have to be seen to be believed.
The islands unique landscape is composed of limestone rock, big large boulders, considerable stretches of cliffs and very clean beaches. There are three islands in total: Inis Mór (big island), Inis Meáin (middle island) and Inis Oírr (eastern island). Gaelic is the native language spoken here.
It is the islands isolation tha...

This church is situated on the south side of the town was built between 1852 and 1858 to the design of McCarthy. This beautiful church contains some of the best work of Albert Power, Mia Cranwell and Harry Clark....

The monastery was founded early in the 7th century by St. Colman son of Duagh, a member of one of the local royal families. It has one of the finest collections of churches in Ireland. The most conspicuous feature is the excellently preserved Round Tower which shares a lean with its more famous counterpart at Pisa.
br> Beside it is the Cathedral, of which the west gable, with its blocked-up flat-headed doorway (11th - 12th century), is the earliest part. The rest of the nave dates largely...

A church and well dedicated to the nun, St. Surney. The original small stone church, which had a flat-headed doorway and walls built of large stones, forms the south-western portion of the present church, but the whole was expanded to its present elongated form early in the 13th century when the two east windows and the excellently carved south door were created. The north wing of the church was added around 1830. A house of hospitality is known to have been kept here, and in 1232 the death...

The town grew up around the castle built by Richard de Burgo in the early 13th century. in 1396 it became a royal borough, and a stronghold of the English Crown. It became a wealthy trading centre ruled by the fourteen 'tribes' of Galway including the Joyces and the Lynches. The town was burned in 1473, surrendered to the Cromwellians in 1652 and suffered heavily in the Williamite wars.

St. Nicholas's Church:

In Market Street is the Church of Ireland church of St....

An early stone church with flat-headed doorway, and a chancel which was added later. It is surrounded by the remains of a stone wall....

Spiddal Church; The Roman Catholic church in this village is renowned for its architectural excellence. Designed by William Scott and completed in 1904, it is Celtic Romenesque in style, an attempted revival of one of the great periods of Irish Architecture....