12 Churches to Explore in Connacht

Ballintubber Abbey is an important sacred Irish historical site which celebrated its 800th year anniversary. It is the only church in Ireland still in daily use that was founded by an Irish king. The abbey has several modern outdoor attractions, including a very modern abstract Way of the Cross, an underground permanent Crib, and a Rosary Way. It was one of the iconic attraction in this area and also attracts many tourists.

Clonfert Cathedral is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Clonfert. It stands on the grounds where St Brendan founded a monastery in the 6th century. The monastery was a thriving centre of learning for centuries and at one time it is estimated there were 3,000 monks based at Clonfert. The current building was erected in the 12th century at the site of an earlier 6th century church founded by Saint Brendan, which was associated with a monastery he founded and at which he was buried.

A beautiful Franciscan Friary founded in 1508 by Margaret O’Brian and Owen O’ Rourke, Lord of Breifne. It was one of the last abbey’s founded in Ireland before King Henry VIII dissolved all the monasteries throughout Ireland and England. The remains of this extensive friary include the church, the cloister and domestic buildings. This Abbey is now in use for as a grave yard.

Kilmacduagh Abbey is a 7th century Irish monastery located near Gort, County Galway. Half in ruins, the building has an exceptional charm, worthy of the greatest remains in Ireland. It was founded by Saint Colman, son of Duagh in the 7th century, on land given him by his cousin King Guaire Aidne mac Colmáin of Connacht. This site was of such importance in medieval times that it became the centre of a new diocese, or Bishop's seat, the Diocese of Kilmacduagh, in the 12th century.

Knock Shrine, in County Mayo, is an international place of prayer and pilgrimage dating back to August 1879, when fifteen people from the village witnessed an apparition. It is a Roman Catholic pilgrimage site and national shrine in the village of Knock, County Mayo, Ireland, where locals claimed to have seen an apparition in 1879 of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, Saint John the Evangelist, angels, and Jesus Christ.

Moyne Abbey, close to Crosspatrick, lies on the west side of Killala Bay, near Ballina. It is one of most impressive ecclesiastical ruins in Mayo and a National Monument. The friary was built in the late Irish Gothic style and has extensive ruins, consisting of a church and domestic buildings situated around a central cloister. Its west doorway is a seventeenth century insertion, and its east window displays fine switchline tracery.

A beautiful abbey that was founded over 750 years ago by Felim O'Conor, King of Connacht, who was buried there in 1265. It has many highlights, including an effigy of a king dressed in a long robe and mantle. It is thought to be O'Conor, who was buried on the grounds, or possibly one of his successors.

St. Mary’s Dominican Priory is located on the outskirts of the historical medieval town of Roscommon, which at its core includes the Anglo-Norman castle and house of Augustinian canons located on the site of the earlier monastery of St Commán. The church had a long north aisle, but only part of the arcade remains. There was a nave and chancel with a central tower and cloister. Nothing remains of the tower or the cloister.

This Dominican Friary was founded in the mid-13th century and served as both a religious centre and community gathering space, especially as a refuge for displaced landowners. It was built in the Romanesque style with some later additions and alterations. Extensive ruins remain, mainly of the church and the cloister.

St. Muredach's Cathedral is the Cathedral Church of the Diocese of Killala. The Diocese of Killala encompasses North Mayo and West Sligo. St. Muredach’s is also the parish church of the parish of Kilmoremoy.Work on the Cathedral began in 1827 under the direction of Reverend Dr. John MacHale, Coadjutor Bishop of Killala. Did you know Reverend MacHale is the ONLY Bishop of the Diocese of Killala to have been appointed Archbishop of Tuam.

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on Temple Street in Sligo, Ireland, is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Elphin. The cathedral was built in a Norman style, and it is the only Norman styled cathedral in Ireland. It can seat 1400 people. It has an impressive spire at the front and large apse in the Sanctuary.