Abbeyknockmoy () is a village and

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

County Galway "Righteousness and Justice" , anthem = () , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Galway.svg , map_caption = Location in Ireland , area_footnotes = , area_total_km2 = ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

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

Cistercian The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, 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 ...

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 named ...

as its benefactors. The abbey was the burial site of King Cathal Crobhdearg Ua Conchobair 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 (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Spring – A German expeditionary force (some 15,000 men) led by Emperor Fred ...

by the King of Connacht, Cathal Crobhdearg Ua Conchobair,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, the

Crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross or beam and left to hang until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation. It was used as a punishment by the Persians, Carthagin ...

, the

Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...

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, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

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 Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

that includes a fine example of a

d head: according to

Roger Stalley Roger Andrew Stalley (born 12 June 1945) is a scholar and teacher in medieval architecture and sculpture. His speciality is Early Gothic and Romanesque architecture and sculpture in England and Western Europe with a particular focus on Irish arch ...

, "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 William de Burgh (; ; ; la, de Burgo; c.1160–winter 1205/06) was the founder of the House of Burgh (later surnamed Burke or Bourke) in Ireland and elder brother of Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent and Geoffrey de Burgh, Bishop of Ely. In ...

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.

Notable people

Clifton Wrottesley Clifton Hugh Lancelot de Verdon Wrottesley, 6th Baron Wrottesley (born 10 August 1968), is an Irish sportsman and British peer and Conservative member of the House of Lords. Early life Wrottesley was born at Hatch Street, Dublin, in 1968 to t ...

- Finished in 4th position in the Men's Skeleton at the 2002 Winter Olympics *

David Connolly David James Connolly (born 6 June 1977) is a retired professional footballer who played as a striker. He played for various clubs including Feyenoord and Excelsior in the Netherlands as well as Wigan Athletic and Sunderland in the Premier Leagu ...

- Retired Irish footballer. Played for

Republic of Ireland national football team , FIFA Trigramme = IRL , Name = Republic of Ireland , Association = Football Association of Ireland (FAI) , Confederation = UEFA (Europe) , website fai.ie, Coach = Stephen Kenny (foot ...

. *

Jim Gaffney James Thomas Gaffney, Jr. (April 26, 1921 – August 9, 2015) was an American football quarterback in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins in 1945 and 1946. He played college football at the University of Tennessee and was ...

- Blyth Spartans striker and

youth international.

Notes

References

* * * * {{Authority control Towns and villages in County Galway National Monuments in County Galway

Abbey

Community

Notable people

See also

Notes

References