Monasteries and Abbeys in Co. Kerry
3 places
1.Mainistir Fhionáin
A 6th-century monastery 618 steps up a sea rock
Mainistir Fhionáin — St Fionan's monastery — sits on the summit of Skellig Michael, a UNESCO World Heritage rock 11.5 km off the Kerry coast, where 6th-century monks built beehive huts from dry stone and lived above the Atlantic.
- Highlights
- UNESCO World Heritage monastic site on a 218 m sea rock
- 618 dry-stone steps built by monks
- Six beehive huts, two oratories and St Michael's Church
2.Muckross Abbey
A 1448 friary built around an ancient yew tree
Muckross Abbey is a roofless 15th-century Franciscan friary in Killarney National Park, its vaulted cloister built around an ancient yew tree said to be up to 400 years old. It is free, unguided and open to walkers year-round.
- Highlights
- Roofless 1448 Franciscan friary with a square tower
- Vaulted cloister arcade around a square courtyard
- Ancient yew tree at the courtyard centre
3.Derrynane Abbey
a 6th-century ruin you can only reach at low tide
A roofless sixth-century ruin perched on a beach-linked "island", Derrynane Abbey overlooks one of Ireland's loveliest strands — and you can only walk out to it when the tide is out.
- Highlights
- Ruined abbey on beach-connected "Abbey Island"
- Reachable on foot only when the tide is out
- Sea-facing Romanesque church with arched windows
- Facilities
- Good for kids