Abbeys and Churches

Mount Melleray

Today I want to share photographs taken over the years in some of Co Waterford and Co Kilkenny Abbeys and Churches that you might put on your itinerary.

Mount Melleray Abbey near Cappoquin Co Waterford was established in 1829-1832. Sir Richard Keane of Cappoquin offered some land at the foot of the Knockmealdowns to Cistercian monk Dom Vincent, and the Abbey was built on this site. The foundation stone was laid in 1833 by Sir Richard, but only one hundred years later, in 1933, the present Abbey church was built using the limestone blocks of the burnt and demolished Mitchelstown Castle. The church was completed in 1940.

The Abbey is open for photographers, worshipers, and people who are looking for peace.

Mount Melleray

Mount Melleray

Mount Melleray

I cannot be sure, but I think the name tag on the Confessional is of Father Francis Carton who entered the Cistercian Order at Mount Melleray Abbey in 1951 and died in 2014.

Mount Melleray

Stained glass window reflecting cheerful Christmasy light.

Mount Melleray

This window has unusual look.

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The sacramental wine in the wonderfully elaborated chalices is ready for the mass.

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Mount Melleray

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If you want to learn more about the monks of Mount Melleray Abbey, please read this blog post . It belongs to Gerry Andrews, famous Irish photographer from Limerick.

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This beautiful path takes you to the graveyard.

Mount Melleray

This road takes you nowhere – it ends just behind the trees. You can travel to the Abbey from Newcastle or Clogheen crossing the Knockmealdown mountains (both very spectacular routes), or from N 72 and R 669 if driving from Waterford or Cork. There are two places you can stop by, just two kilometers from the Abbey – Melleray Grotto and The Cats Bar where you can have a meal.

Mount Melleray

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Another famous Cistercian abbey lies  in ruins at the side of the Old Waterford road near Thomastown, Co Kilkenny.  It is Jerpoint Abbey, originally founded in 1180 on a nearly three acre old monastic site, and closed in 1540, after the Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII.  Beautiful and majestic, it has been in protection of the Office of Public Works since 1880 when it was declared a National Monument. There is a new Visitor center and a paid parking lot – the only available parking lot. Outside the opening hours, you might have a problem to stop your car even for a simple snap through your car window.

Jerpoint Abbey is famous for its ancient stone carvings that deserve a separate blog post.

Jerpoint Abbey

Jerpoint Abbey

This building is also a National Monument, but it is not completely in ruins, and it is not an abbey. It was built on the site of the early Christian monastery in 1269 AD, just a century after Jerpoint Abbey, and functioned as a Collegiate Church, which meant that it was administered by a college of priests. In the 14th century a tower and expansion were added, but the church was left to decay after the Dissolution. Only in the 19th century, the part on the left from the tower was rebuilt, and since then half of the building is in use as a Church of Ireland parish church of St Mary’s. This absolutely beautiful and well preserved ruin stands surrounded by the manicured landscape in the Main Street of Gowran, Co Kilkenny.

Mary's Church

Gigantic walls, arches and naves, fine stonework and many interesting tombstones are truly fascinating and will keep you busy taking photographs for a good while.

Mary's Church

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Clonegam church stands away from the busy roads and villages and has one of the most beautiful vistas in front of it – I will return there for more photographs some day. The church was built in 1741 and renovated every 50 years until 1893. Inside it resembles a family mausoleum rather than a regular church, and I was very hesitant to share the pictures of the church interior I have got.

church

I will only share two of my photographs, because I have seen similar photographs on the internet before, so I won’t be the first person to expose them to the public.

In this photograph, the first monument, the one in granite, as the epitaph says, is to the memory of ‘The Most Noble Henry de la Poer Beresford third Marquis of Waterford, who died in 1859 aged 47’.  The marble tomb is a monument to ‘The Rev. John de la Poer Beresford fourth Marquis of Waterford, who died in 1866’.

churc

The monument in this photograph is very special. It provides most of the light in the church as it is lit by a skylight in the roof. The monument is dedicated to the wife of the fifth Marquis of Waterford, Florence. She died in childbirth, and her grief stricken husband commissioned this monument made from Kilkenny marble.

church

Thank you for taking this historical walk with me. After admiring majestic architecture, fine masonry and sculptures, I think I will share photographs of some cute creatures in my next blog post 🙂

inesemjphotography  Have a wonderful weekend!

136 comments

  1. Oh….oh, this was just the thing I had hoped to capture when I visited Holy Hill not long ago, but the weather was about as lousy as could be. I can sense the wonders of creation and the divine in your captures. Precious fragments of Ireland’s soul. xxxx

    1. Thank you so much! Our wonderful Mike Steeden has found more info about Lady Florence, so I am posting a follow up in two weeks with more pictures and bits of history. xxxx

  3. Captivating photographs, Lady Inese! After seeing your lovely photos of the churches, I couldn’t help but wonder if you are hired professionally to photograph weddings and events?

      1. I don’t blame you. I’d rather hang off cliffs taking photos of puffins than irritated brides 😀 You’re not too old — you’re too smart, my lady!

        ~PR

  4. Churches; especially ancient ones, bring my voice down to a hush — they do feel like the Lord’s home. Your photographs are always so breathtaking. Such a loving and beautiful tribute to the mother and her baby! I learn so much from your posts, Inese. 🌺 🌻 🌹

        1. Oh these are not masterpieces 🙂 I do post pictures I truly work on, but usually it is just a glorified point-and-shoot sort of images. Just to let people know about interesting places 🙂 xx

    1. Thank you so much, Julian! The last church I wrote about isn’t open for public, but one can get the keys in the local parish. They don’t want the photographs being published online – it is the ‘privilege’ of some certain local photographers 😉 I am not privileged, it is why I only posted photographs of three monuments that can be found in Google search. It is very annoying, of course. In my understanding, only Lord of Waterford has rights to issue restrictions on photography since it is his family ancestral mausoleum. Anyway, just to be on the safe side I won’t publish any other images of the church’s interior. Yet 🙂

    1. The images of these three monuments can be found in the internet, which means it is OK to post them. I had permission to take photographs in the church, but only for making prints.

  13. My darling, my apologies for being late for this walk. My big girl was married at the weekend. However I got here soon as and I am here now. Lovely lovely photographs. You could photograph the phone book and it would still be gorgeous because your heart is always there xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.

    1. How wonderful! Congratulations! Did you travel somewhere for the wedding? Happy mama!
      Never too late for a walk on this blog 🙂 I wish I posted something more festive. xxxxxxxx

    1. Thank you! The sunlight is a very important thing to appreciate the beauty of the windows. Reflections create amazing pattern – I remember how stunned I was in Sagrada Familia.

    1. Thank you so much, Derrick. In a couple of weeks I will post a blog about Kennedy arboretum – nothing of professional interest, I am afraid, just some autumn scenes, but I did think of your blog when walking around the arboretum, and I am going to link the post to your blog. Sort of dedication 🙂

      1. Curiosity killed the cat! There is so little about this lady on the net. http://www.ricardophotoalbum.com/17/
        has some photo’s, plus Lord Waterford eloped with Florence Grosvenor Rowley, wife of John Vivian and married her on 9 August 1872…I think she died in 1873 so the whole tale is even more tragic. Wife and child buried together.

        1. What a tragic tale! Thank you so much for digging this up! I thought that the story was unusual – in that era, marriages were usually arranged to benefit both families. The grief of her husband seemed genuine and profound. Such a short time was given to them.

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