In a quiet Westmeath valley, St Fechin founded a monastery around AD 630; today Fore holds Ireland's most extensive medieval Benedictine ruins and the legendary 'Seven Wonders of Fore'.
The hillside church above the abbey may date to the 10th century, with a chancel added around 1200. Its cross-inscribed lintel is said to have been lifted into place by St Fechin himself, and is one of the Seven Wonders.
Track down the fabled features: the monastery built on a bog, the mill without a race, the water that flows uphill, the tree that won't burn, the water that won't boil, the anchorite in a stone and the raised lintel. The 'water that won't boil' well still has rags tied to its ash tree.
A 3km looped walk circles the village and monastic site, taking in the principal monuments plus a fairy trail through a woodland section. Expect uneven ground and exposed, changeable weather.
Above St Fechin's Church stands the two-storey Anchorite's Cell, once home to hermits, with a chapel holding the Nugent family crypt. You can continue up the steep 'Rock of the evil eye' (Carrick Balor) for views over the valley.
Founded before 1200 by the de Lacys, this is the most extensive remnant of any medieval Benedictine house in Ireland, laid out around a central cloister with the church to the north and refectory to the south. Look for the dovecote behind the main buildings.
A free 64-minute audio guide by Abarta Heritage, produced with Westmeath County Council and the Fore community, tells the story of the village, its abbey and its Seven Wonders. Download it before you arrive or play it on site.
Eighteen Fore crosses are distributed over roughly 10km of roadways and fields around the village, reminders that this was a major place of pilgrimage long after the monastery was founded.
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