The ruins of Derrynane Abbey
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Monastery information | |
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Other names | Ahamore Abbey |
Site | |
Location | County Kerry |
Coordinates | 51°45′27″N 10°08′34″W / 51.75750°N 10.14278°WCoordinates: 51°45′27″N 10°08′34″W / 51.75750°N 10.14278°W |
Visible remains | church |
Public access | yes |
Derrynane Abbey (Ahamore Abbey/Irish: Mainistir Achaidh Mhóir) is a ruined abbey in County Kerry, Republic of Ireland. It is located near the town of Caherdaniel and is very close to Derrynane House, the house of Daniel O'Connell. Derrynane Abbey is on an island appropriately named Abbey Island. It is accessible from the mainland through a beach. It is believed to have been built in the 6th century.
The Abbey itself is very ruined. There are only 3 interconnecting buildings of the abbey left, all without a roof. The main church, like the other buildings, is very overgrown and full of graves, including those of Mary O'Connell (wife of Daniel O'Connell) and the eighteenth-century Gaelic poet, Tomás Rua Ó Suilleabháin. The three arched windows of the church are in good condition even though they are facing the sea. The other two buildings have little else of note but graves. In the graveyard surrounding the abbey, there is tomb made of white tile which has been chipped away in places. It's such an unusual tomb that it has to be seen too.
Derrynane Abbey
Second Building
Mary O'Connell's Grave
White Tiled Tomb