Sligo Abbey, Sligo, Ireland

Sligo Abbey was a Dominican Friary founded in 1253 by Maurice FitzGerald, 2nd Lord of Offaly. His purpose allegedly was to house a community of monks to pray for the soul of Richard Marshal, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, whom he was rumoured to have killed.

The Abbey has endured many calamities, including an accidental fire in 1414, the dismantling of a substantial wooden cross for use a battering ram during a siege at the town's castle, and violent destruction at the hands of Plantation landlord Sir Frederic Hamilton in 1642. During the eighteenth century, the now abandoned Abbey functioned as the town's main burial ground, becoming overwhelmed by the influx of victims of cholera in the summer of 1832.

Despite the ravages of history, the Abbey retains a great wealth of carvings, including Gothic and Renaissance monumental sculpture, the well-preserved cloister arcade, and the sculptured fifteenth-century high altar - one of the very few to survive in an Irish monastic church. Visitors can also explore the remains of the dining hall and dormitories on the upper floor, as well as the graveyard, which surrounds the complex.

References:

Heritage Ireland

User Reviews

Nee Shen Ho (2 years ago)
We managed to enter before they are closed for winter so do check if they are open before going. Entrance is ticketed but we entered free with the heritage card. We were given a laminated card that helps with the self guided tour. The kids have a cards of pictures where they go hunting for the objects in the card. Worth visiting although it's just a ruin, otherwise not much else to do in Sligo

Robert Stewart (2 years ago)
Very historical and interesting place. I found serious peace within even though we were in the city. It's resonates of tranquility inside.

Melanie Carvalho (2 years ago)
Went here on an odd monday - it's a well maintained piece of history, and the people there are really knowledgable and happy to talk about it :) There's also a cute little scavenger hunt for kids to find stonework reliefs within the abbey, which was even super fun and challenging for us adults! All in all it would be a 30 minute - 1 hour excursion

The Whippet (2 years ago)
Nice piece of historical architecture here dating back to the 14th century. Kids got a nice find the feature sheet which kept them busy. Staff were really helpful.

Gaelen McNamara (2 years ago)
This is a really good self guided tour. It's best to follow the guided map that will be given to you when you check in. You'll learn about things and see things, like hidden carvings, that might be missed otherwise. We really enjoyed it.

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