Qualla: Kilmacduagh Monastery https://qualla.com/kilmacduagh-monastery 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/3/t/kilmacduagh-monastery-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: Kilmacduagh Monastery https://qualla.com/kilmacduagh-monastery Kilmacduagh Monastery: Introduction https://qualla.com/kilmacduagh-monastery/ Photo credit Andreas F. Borchert, CC BY-SA 4.0. The round tower leans. Not dramatically, not dangerously, but enough that you notice -- enough that it has been leaning for centuries and shows no intention of falling. At over 34 metres, Kilmacduagh's round tower is the tallest in Ireland, and its gentle tilt has become as much a part of its identity as the monastery it once served. Standing among these ruins near the town of Gort in County Galway, you are looking at a place that has been holy ground since the early 600s, when a king's cousin gave up his claim to power and chose prayer instead.

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Image: Andreas F. Borchert | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/3/t/kilmacduagh-monastery-wp/gc3t-kilmacduagh-monastery-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Kilmacduagh Monastery: A Saint and His Cousin the King https://qualla.com/kilmacduagh-monastery/ Photo credit Michael Deligan, CC BY-SA 4.0. The name tells the founding story: Kilmacduagh translates as "church of Duagh's son." That son was Saint Colman, a 7th-century monk who established a monastery here on land granted by his cousin, King Guaire Aidne mac Colmain of Connacht. Guaire himself kept a fortified dwelling ...

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Image: Michael Deligan | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/3/t/kilmacduagh-monastery-wp/gc3t-kilmacduagh-monastery-a-saint-and-his-cousin-the-king.mp3 0:06 2 full Kilmacduagh Monastery: The Seven Churches https://qualla.com/kilmacduagh-monastery/ Photo credit User:Borvan53, Public domain. The ruins are sometimes called "the seven churches," though not all of the buildings were churches and none dates back to Colman's original foundation. What survives is a layered collection of medieval structures: a cathedral, a round tower, several smaller churches, and the rema...

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Image: User:Borvan53 | Public domain

]]> Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/3/t/kilmacduagh-monastery-wp/gc3t-kilmacduagh-monastery-the-seven-churches.mp3 0:06 3 full Kilmacduagh Monastery: Conquest and Collapse https://qualla.com/kilmacduagh-monastery/ Photo credit This is a collage of free images in Wikimedia Commons., CC BY-SA 4.0. Kilmacduagh did not escape the upheavals that swept through medieval Ireland. In 1199, the monastery found itself at the center of a clash between Anglo-Norman forces and the Connacht Irish. John de Courcy marched from Ulster with English allies to assist Cathal Crovderg O'Conor,...

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Image: This is a collage of free images in Wikimedia Commons. | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/3/t/kilmacduagh-monastery-wp/gc3t-kilmacduagh-monastery-conquest-and-collapse.mp3 0:06 4 full Kilmacduagh Monastery: Still Standing, Still Leaning https://qualla.com/kilmacduagh-monastery/ Photo credit Katherine Kenneally, CC BY-SA 4.0. Restoration work in the 19th century, overseen by Sir Thomas Deane with financial support from Sir William Henry Gregory of nearby Coole Park, helped stabilize what remained. Gregory's estate at Coole would later become famous as a gathering place for the Irish Literary Revival -...

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Image: Katherine Kenneally | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/3/t/kilmacduagh-monastery-wp/gc3t-kilmacduagh-monastery-still-standing-still-leaning.mp3 0:06 5 full