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The castle was sold to the Duke and Duchess of Manchester in 1903 who resided there for several years but had to sell the house in 1920 due to gambling debts. The lands and castle were purchased by Benedictine Nuns in 1920 who had fled Ypres in Belgium during World War I. Their Abbey at Ypres had been completed bombed out and the nuns were evacuated to London where they remained until 1920. The castle became known as Kylemore Abbey and was opened as an international boarding school and day school for Catholic girls from the area. The school closed in 2010 and now the abbey is mainly used as a tourist attraction but also the Benedictines continue to establish retreat facilities on the lands.
I visited Kylemore Abbey in the late 80s/early 90s as a child and it always resonated as a place of utter calm and striking beauty, at that time of course it was still operating as a school and the wonderful Victorian Walled Gardens were in ruin, these have been lovingly restored since the late 1990s. Its great to see the gardens being tended to as working gardens and its lovely to stroll around the bothy and to see where the head gardener would have lived. A visit to Kylemore is a must when in the area of Connemara.
GPS: 53.56163, -9.88949
Wow beautiful photos! It’s fun to see posts on fully restored landmarks between those of ruins and ancient monuments! Your personal anecdote was touching, and good to hear that the gardens have likewise been restored! Also want to say happy Easter to you!
Thank you Tiege, happy easter to yourself too!
Probably my favourite place on earth!
Its a beaut