Glenstal Abbey, Benedictine monastery in County Limerick, Ireland
Glenstal Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in County Limerick housed in a Norman-style castle from the 1830s with stone walls, towers, and gardens spread across about 200 hectares. The grounds accommodate a monastic community and a secondary boarding school for boys.
The original castle was built in the 1830s and initially belonged to the Barrington family before being purchased in 1925 to establish a Benedictine community. This community came from the Belgian monastery of Maredsous and settled here permanently.
The monks structure their daily life through singing prayers at set times that shape the rhythm of the day. Visitors can join these prayers in the church and experience how religious life unfolds here.
Visitors can enter the church to join prayers or simply experience the calm of the place. The monastery is rural and best reached by car, as it sits in a secluded location away from main towns.
In the 1990s the resident monks recorded several Gregorian chant albums that contributed to the platinum-selling compilation Faith of our Fathers. These recordings show the musical tradition still practiced here.
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