August 04, 2021

Kylemore Abbey and Victorian Walled Garden, Galway

Nestled in the heart of Connemara, on the Wild Atlantic Way is Kylemore Abbey, an iconic and magnificent 1,000-acre Irish estate.

Known as a haven of history, beauty and serenity, Kylemore Abbey has been home to a Benedictine order of Nuns since 1920.

The Visitor Experience, which opened in 2019, tells the stories of the many generations of people who have lived, worked, studied and prayed inside Kylemore Abbey’s solid granite walls. 

These stories are brought to life in stunning fashion with the use of historical photographs, audio-visual presentations, displays of artifacts from the Kylemore archive, historical costumes, and beautifully restored period rooms. 

Kylemore Abbey's Victorian Walled Garden is an oasis of ordered splendor in the wild Connemara Countryside. Developed along with the Castle in the late 1800s it once boasted 21 heated glasshouses and a workforce of 40 gardeners.

One of the last walled gardens built during the Victorian period in Ireland it was so advanced for the time that it was compared in magnificence with Kew Gardens in London.

Comprised of roughly 6 acres, the Garden is divided in two by a beautiful mountain stream. The eastern half includes the formal flower garden, glasshouses the head gardener's house and the garden bothy.

The western part of the garden includes the vegetable garden, herbaceous border, fruit trees, a rockery and herb garden. 

Find out more about Kylemore Abbey here.