Killone Abbey

Killone Abbey (Template:Irish place name<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>) is a former nunnery located on the grounds of Newhall Estate in County Clare, Ireland.

History

The abbey was founded in 1190 by Donal Mór O'Brien, King of Thomond and Munster (pre-16th century Clare was called Thomond), who placed there a sisterhood of the order of Saint Augustin. It was a prominent house of Canonesses Regular and was one of a number of female monastic institutions in Gaelic Ireland.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref>

It became associated with the O'Brien dynasty, one of the main Gaelic noble families in medieval Ireland, and several of its abbesses were drawn from their ranks. Among them was Slaney O'Brien (d. 1260), the daughter of Carbreagh, King of Thomond, who renounced her royal status and worldly possessions to take up the role of abbess.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

She was described in the Irish annals as "the most pious, most charitable, and most generous woman in all Munster"

The last abbess, Lady Honora O'Brien, daughter of Murrough O'Brien, the 1st Earl of Thomond, played a significant role in the abbey's later history. Following the suppression of monastic houses in 1540, Lady Honora married Sir Roger O'Shaughnessy and became heiress to Newhall and Killone. Their marriage, which required papal dispensation, occurred after the birth of their three eldest children.<ref name=":0" /><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

By 1617, the abbey was recorded as being in ruins. Today, its remains are located on lands within the grounds of Newhall House and Estate. The ruins include substantial portions of the abbey church and a crypt. A narrow stone stairway, situated between the altar and the east window, leads to a ledge atop the south wall of the church, which overlooks the surrounding grounds.

Saint John's Holy Well

Also located on the grounds of Newhall Estate is the Holy Well of Saint John the Baptist. Known as Tobar Eoin in Irish, the well's origins date to pre-Christian times. According to folklore, the well is believed to have healing properties and has served as a place of pilgrimage for centuries. It features remnants of historical stone structures and a natural spring. Local folklore suggests that the well was visited for blessings and cures, particularly during the feast day of Saint John. It continues to attract visitors.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":43">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":13">Template:Cite web</ref>

The well, adorned with inscriptions, some dating to 1600, remains a site of veneration.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Lord Walter Fitzgerald (the fourth son of Charles, Duke of Leinster) visited the site in 1899 and documented its history in Inscriptions at St. John's Well, Killone Abbey, County Clare for the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland.<ref name=":13" />

The site is still used for religious services and an annual outdoor Mass is held at the well in June.<ref name=":12">Template:Cite web</ref>

Access

The abbey and graveyard is privately owned,<ref name=":5">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref> part of Newhall Estate, owned by the Commane family.<ref name=":3">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":4">Template:Cite web</ref> The abbey site is protected under the National Monuments Acts, with guardianship vested in the Office of Public Works.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":2" /> As it is private land, access is available with the owner's permission.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":4" />Template:Fv Killone Abbey is linked to Clare Abbey by the "Pilgrim's Path", a footpath through Ballybeg forest.<ref name=":12"/>

Gallery

• Error creating thumbnail:
  Killone Abbey 1890 Lawrence Collection National Library of Ireland
• Killone Abbey 1890 Lawrence Collection
  Killone Abbey 1890 Lawrence Collection
• Killone Abbey
  Killone Abbey
• Killone Abbey Graveyard Ennis
  Killone Abbey Graveyard Ennis
• Killone Abbey Graveyard Ennis
  Killone Abbey Graveyard Ennis

See also

• List of abbeys and priories in Ireland (County Clare)

References

Sources

• Glichrist, R., Gender and Material Culture: The Archaeology of Religious Women, (London, 1994)
• Ó Dálaigh, B., ‘Mistress, Mother and Abbess: Renalda Ní Bhriain c.1447-1510’ in North Munster Antiquarian Journal, 32, (1990) pp 50–63.
• O’Keeffe, T.  An Anglo-Norman Monastery: Bridgetown Priory and the Architecture of the Augustinian Canons Regular in Ireland, (Cork, 1999)
• Westropp, T.J., ‘The Augustinian Houses of the County Clare: Clare, Killone and Inchicronan’ in Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, (1900) pp 118–135.

External links

• Lawrence Collection Killone Abbey 1890