Qualla: Kilcooly Abbey https://qualla.com/kilcooly-abbey en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:19 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/6/e/kilcooly-abbey-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: Kilcooly Abbey https://qualla.com/kilcooly-abbey Kilcooly Abbey: Introduction https://qualla.com/kilcooly-abbey/ Photo credit Scummy at English Wikipedia, CC BY 2.5. Carved into the archway of the sacristy at Kilcooly Abbey, a mermaid holds a mirror and gazes at her reflection. She was placed there to represent vanity -- a warning to monks entering the most sacred part of their church. Eight centuries later, she remains one of the most striking pieces of medieval sculpture in Ireland, her stone features still sharp in a ruin where the roof has long since fallen and a tree now grows in the center of the cloister garth.

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Image: Scummy at English Wikipedia | CC BY 2.5

]]> Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/6/e/kilcooly-abbey-wp/gc6e-kilcooly-abbey-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Kilcooly Abbey: The King Who Built Three Abbeys https://qualla.com/kilcooly-abbey/ Photo credit Sarah777 at English Wikipedia, Public domain. Kilcooly owes its existence to Donal Mor O'Brien, King of Thomond, who in 1182 granted lands near the village of Gortnahoe in County Tipperary to the Cistercian order. The abbey was built around 1200, dedicated to the Virgin Mary and Saint Benedict, and shares its architectural D...

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Image: Sarah777 at English Wikipedia | Public domain

]]> Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/6/e/kilcooly-abbey-wp/gc6e-kilcooly-abbey-the-king-who-built-three-abbeys.mp3 0:06 2 full Kilcooly Abbey: The Knight and the Mermaid https://qualla.com/kilcooly-abbey/ Photo credit Mike Searle, CC BY-SA 2.0. The abbey's stone carvings are its greatest treasure. In the chancel lies the tomb of the knight Piers Fitz Oge Butler, who died in 1526. Ten apostles are carved along the side of his tomb, the work of the master sculptor Rory O Tunney, who is also celebrated for his carvings at ...

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Image: Mike Searle | CC BY-SA 2.0

]]> Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/6/e/kilcooly-abbey-wp/gc6e-kilcooly-abbey-the-knight-and-the-mermaid.mp3 0:06 3 full Kilcooly Abbey: What the Monks Left Behind https://qualla.com/kilcooly-abbey/ Photo credit Scummy at English Wikipedia, CC BY 2.5. Remarkably, Kilcooly's monastic layout can still be read. The nave of the church remains roofed, though the rest opens to the sky. The cloister columns are almost entirely gone -- only one survives -- but the pebbled walkway still traces their path around the grassy square. The c...

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Image: Scummy at English Wikipedia | CC BY 2.5

]]> Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/6/e/kilcooly-abbey-wp/gc6e-kilcooly-abbey-what-the-monks-left-behind.mp3 0:06 4 full Kilcooly Abbey: Excalibur and the Quiet Afternoon https://qualla.com/kilcooly-abbey/ Photo credit Eric laum, CC BY-SA 4.0. In 1981, director John Boorman filmed scenes for Excalibur at Kilcooly -- the same production that also used nearby Cahir Castle. The abbey's combination of atmospheric ruin and photogenic stonework made it a natural choice for Arthurian legend. Today, Kilcooly sits within the gr...

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Image: Eric laum | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/6/e/kilcooly-abbey-wp/gc6e-kilcooly-abbey-excalibur-and-the-quiet-afternoon.mp3 0:06 5 full