St Mary's Abbey
Lismore
County Waterford

P51 X725

St Mary's Abbey, Lismore, County Waterford, Ireland
Glencairn Easter Morning
Glencairn Abbey Community
The Abbey church

Who we are

St Mary’s Abbey, Glencairn is the only Cistercian monastery for women in Ireland. Our monastery is located in the Blackwater Valley, about three miles upstream from Lismore, County Waterford.

At the heart of the monastic life is the search for God. We seek God and follow Christ in a life of prayer and community, solitude and simplicity, work and hospitality.

We follow the Rule of St Benedict, an ancient source of monastic wisdom that continues to guide many people in search of an authentic spiritual path in today’s world.

Street Address

Glencairn
Lismore, County Waterford P51 X725
Ireland
Phone: +353 (0)58 56168

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Quote of the Day

Ephesians 4:6

One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

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Driving Directions to St Mary's Abbey

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St Mary's Abbey - Glencairn, Lismore, County Waterford
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Travel/Directions Tips

By Car

From Dublin:

Glencairn is 140 miles from Dublin by car (journey time three hours).
Take the M7/M8 road to Cork
Exit at Fermoy and follow the R639 to town centre
Crossing the bridge, take a left onto the N72 signposted for Waterford
Follow the N72 for 18kms
At the junction for Tallow, turn left up a steep hill.
At the top of this hill, take the second left turn with a signpost for Glencairn.
The entrance to St Mary’s Abbey, Glencairn is at the junction at the end of this road.

From Cork:

Glencairn is 36 miles from Cork by car (journey time one hour)
Take the M8 for Dublin
Exit at Watergrasshill
Take the R639
Turn off for Tallow (R268) via Conna
At Tallow, turn left at main junction in the village, cross the bridge (passing Brideview Bar on right) and continue on up the steep hill
At the top take second left turn with the signpost for Glencairn
The entrance to St Mary’s Abbey is at the junction at the end of this road.

By Bus

From Dublin:

Take Bus Eireann X8 Dublin-Cork Bus
Get off at the town of Fermoy. Bus stop: ‘Bella Café’
Fermoy is 25 minutes away from the monastery

By Air

The nearest airport to Glencairn Abbey is Cork International Airport
Glencairn is one hour from Cork Airport


Parking



St Mary's Abbey Lismore Mass Times

Mass & Prayer Times

Sundays:

4:10am – Vigils
7:45am – Lauds
8:15am – Eucharist
10:00am – Terce
12:40pm – Sext
3:00pm – None
6:00pm – Vespers
6:30pm – Adoration
7:45pm – Compline

Weekdays

4:10am – Vigils
7:45am – Lauds
8:15am – Eucharist
9:45am – Terce
12:40pm – Sext
2:45pm – None
6:00pm – Vespers
7:45pm – Compline

Mass Times last updated on the 12th of June, 2023


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St Mary's Abbey Photo Gallery

St Mary's Abbey, Lismore, County Waterford, Ireland
Glencairn Easter Morning
Glencairn Abbey Community
The Abbey church



St Mary's Abbey History

Glencairn Abbey land was, in the 7th century, part of the great monastic settlement of St. Carthage of Lismore. The Viking raids of pillage and burnings in the 9th and 10th centuries were eventually followed by the plundering Normans. However, in the 12th century Christian O’Conarchy, of Mellifont Abbey, became the first Irish Cistercian to be Bishop of Lismore.

Ballygarron Castle

Through the centuries, wars were fought between the Butlers of Ormond and the Fitzgeralds of Desmond. Eventually, Richard Boyle, the ‘Great Earl of Cork’ gained the lands. He built several castles, and one of them, built in 1609, and occupied by his sister Margaret and her husband Piers Power, was Ballygarron (or Ballengrane), on the site now occupied by St. Mary’s Abbey, Glencairn. Part of the original castle, a cellar, still in use, and some walls, remain from 1609 and have been incorporated into the present building.

Castlerichard

In 1695, Richard Gumbleton, a Cromwellian soldier who had property in Curraglass near Tallow, acquired what remained of the house and land. He rebuilt the house; the monastery’s South Wing dates back to this time, and he changed the name to Castlerichard.

Glencairn Abbey

In the 18th and 19th century the West and East wings were added, and the name was changed once again, this time to Glencairn Abbey. Twice during the centuries, a daughter inherited. In the early 1800’s Lavinia Gumbleton married Henry Amyas Bushe of Kilfane; towards the end of that century, Frances Anne Bushe married Ambrose William Bushe Power. The Power family continued to live in Glencairn Abbey until 1922, when the property was put up for sale.


St Mary's Abbey Historical Photos




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