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Kylemore Abbey

Our expert Ireland

Rooksana Hossenally Section editor

Travel is my driving force in life, and although I have had the privilege of visiting 30 countries so far, my heart will always remain in India...

Kylemore Abbey

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Kylemore Abbey, Connemara, Ireland Located at the heart of Connemara, this Neo-gothic building stands on the edge of the lake of the same name. © Alamer / age fotostock

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This neo-Gothic style abbey dates back to the middle of the 19th century. If it is more splendid and larger than the other Irish abbeys, it is because it was initially built as a private residence. Benedictine nuns, who had fled from Belgium after their convent was destroyed in the First World War, took over the estate in 1920, where they ran a young girls' boarding school and lived on the sales of homemade products (jam, biscuits, cakes, etc). A part of the abbey is open to visitors, notably the Gothic church which is renowned for its coloured marble.