Abbeyknockmoy () is a village and

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...

, Ireland. It is known for the nearby ruins of the 12th century

Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...

abbey, established with the

Kings of Connacht The Kings of Connacht were rulers of the ''cóiced'' (variously translated as portion, fifth, province) of Connacht, which lies west of the River Shannon, Ireland. However, the name only became applied to it in the early medieval era, being name ...

as its benefactors. The abbey was the burial site of King

Cathal Crobhdearg Ua Conchobair Cathal Crobhdearg Ua Conchobair (Anglicised as Cathal O'Connor/O'Conor and Cathal the Red-handed O'Conor) (1153–1224), was a king of Connacht. He was the youngest son of the High King of Ireland Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair and brother to the ...

and contains several examples of medieval wall paintings and

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

. It was formerly part of the kingdom of the Soghain of Connacht.

Abbey

Abbeyknockmoy was originally a Cistercian abbey founded in

1190 Year 1190 (MCXC) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Spring – A German expeditionary force (some 15,000 men) led by Emperor Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick ...

by the

King of Connacht The Kings of Connacht were rulers of the ''cóiced'' (variously translated as portion, fifth, province) of Connacht, which lies west of the River Shannon, Ireland. However, the name only became applied to it in the early medieval era, being named ...

,Lalor, p 1 in fulfilment of a vow made prior to a victory gained by Cathal against the English forces under Almeric de St. Lawrence. Cathal died a Cistercian monk and was buried there in 1224.Doran, p 53 The new abbey was occupied by Cistercian monks from Boyle Abbey. Substantial parts of the abbey remain, showing close links with other abbeys in the west of Ireland. The abbey was decorated by medieval wall paintings, traces of which survive in the presbytery: they depict

Saint Sebastian Sebastian (; ) was an early Christianity, Christian saint and martyr. According to traditional belief, he was killed during the Diocletianic Persecution of Christians. He was initially tied to a post or tree and shot with arrows, though this d ...

, the

Crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the condemned is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross, beam or stake and left to hang until eventual death. It was used as a punishment by the Achaemenid Empire, Persians, Ancient Carthag ...

, the

Trinity The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, thr ...

and the three living and three dead. One of the surviving fragments also depicts a

hunting Hunting is the Human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...

scene, indicating that hunting was popular in medieval Ireland. Additionally, the group of sculptors at Abbeyknockmoy can be identified as the same sculptors at work in Boyle Abbey. There is a capital that includes a fine example of a

d head: according to Roger Stalley, "there is a fine royal head on one of the nave piers. The nose and chin are smashed, but the carefully defined eyes, elaborate crown and long curly hair are still intact". He also suggests that the carved head actually represents Ua Conchobair, and "was perhaps a tribute to his benefactions". The monastery was plundered by William de Burgo in 1200. In 1483, the abbot was accused of setting fire to the abbey.

Community

Abbeyknockmoy is the home of St Bernards Utd, who won the Western Hygiene Premier Division Title in 2016; the highest League honour in Galway FA Junior soccer. Abbeyknockmoy was designated as a

census town In India and some other countries, a census town is designated as a town that satisfies certain characteristics. India In India, a census town is one which is not statutorily notified and administered as a town, but nevertheless whose population ...

by the Central Statistics Office for the first time in the 2016 census, at which time it had a population of 262 people. At the 2022 census the population was 318.

Notable people

* Clifton Wrottesley - Finished in 4th position in the Men's Skeleton at the 2002 Winter Olympics * David Connolly - Retired Irish footballer. Played for

Republic of Ireland national football team The Republic of Ireland Men's national football team () represents the Republic of Ireland in men's international Association football, football. It is governed by the Football Association of Ireland (FAI). The team made their debut at the Ir ...

. * Jim Gaffney - Blyth Spartans striker and

youth international.

Notes

References

* * * * {{Authority control Towns and villages in County Galway Civil parishes of County Galway National monuments in County Galway

Abbey

Community

Notable people

See also

Notes

References