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On a gentle S-facing slope in pastureland, near Abbeyknockmoy village, it overlooks the Abbert River to S. A Cistercian monastery founded in 1189-90 by Cathal Crobderg O'Conor, King of Connacht (Glynn 1904; Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 124). A Nat. Mon., the remains comprise a large conserved Transitional style church (E-W; L 60m) of early 13th-C date (Leask 1960a, 37-9) consisting of an aisled nave, a chancel and two transepts (see Cochrane 1904, 246). The chancel has a fine ribbed vault and E windows, while the transepts both contain two barrel-vaulted chapels at their E ends. Three of the arches of the crossing are walled up, possibly 15th-C work coeval with the insertion of the now largely ruined central tower (Killanin and Duignan 1967, 51). The N wall of the chancel bears 15th-C mural paintings depicting the Holy Trinity, the martyrdom of St Sebastian and the Three Dead and Three Live Kings (Crawford 1919; Leask 1960b, 174-5). The claustural buildings and ruined cloister lie to S, but only E wing, including the sacristy, chapter house and a later garderobe, is well preserved. The ruins of a rectangular building (E-W; L 11.35m, Wth 5m) (GA058-004002-), probably of post-medieval date (Sweetman 1987, 9-11), lie immediately to N. A modern mill (GA058-004005-), 325m to W, is said to occupy the site of the original abbey mill (Cochrane 1904, 247-8). A field system (GA058-004004-) and three holy wells (GA058-004007-) are also associated. (Crawford 1913, 152; Harbison 1975, 96)
The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Galway Vol. II - North Galway'. Compiled by Olive Alcock, Kathy de hÓra and Paul Gosling (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1999).
Date of upload: 05 August 2010
The monument was taken into Ownership under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014 - National Monument 166.
The following images are attached:
GA058-004001-_01.jpg - Overall view from SE
GA058-004001-_02.jpg - Overall view from NW
GA058-004001-_03.jpg - View from cloister looking N
GA058-004001-_04.jpg - Overall view from E
GA058-004001-_05.jpg - Detail of mural painting in the chancel
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