Corcomroe Abbey, Cistercian monastery in County Clare, Ireland
Corcomroe Abbey is a Cistercian monastery in County Clare with a church displaying high-quality stonework that includes carved capitals showing human faces, floral designs, poppies, and lily-of-the-valley details. The eastern end features a ribbed vault with herringbone patterning illuminated by narrow lancet windows, which reveal the skill of medieval stone workers.
Founded in the early 13th century as a daughter house of Inisloughnaght Abbey, the monastery functioned until its dissolution in 1554 during the English Reformation. It maintained its religious and community role across several centuries in this rural Irish landscape.
The graveyard surrounding the ruins still bears the names of local families on weathered stones, showing how this place remains connected to the community. Visitors can read the stories of people who lived in this region carved into the markers.
The site is open year-round with no entry fee and sits about 20 minutes on foot from Bellharbour, which is served by Bus Éireann Route 350. Visitors should expect uneven ground and open structures, so sturdy footwear and weather protection are advisable.
An effigy tomb of King Conor O'Brien, who died in 1268, lies within the chancel and represents a rare survival of royal burials from this period. Such carved grave monuments are uncommon in Irish monastic sites.
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