Knockmoy Abbey

On a gentle S-facing slope in pastureland, near Abbeyknockmoy village, it overlooks the Abbert River to S. A Cistercian monastery founded in 1189-90 by Cathal Crobderg O'Conor, King of Connacht (Glynn 1904; Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 124). A Nat. Mon., the remains comprise a large conserved Transitional style church (E-W; L 60m) of early 13th-C date (Leask 1960a, 37-9) consisting of an aisled nave, a chancel and two transepts (see Cochrane 1904, 246). The chancel has a fine ribbed vault and E windows, while the transepts both contain two barrel-vaulted chapels at their E ends. Three of the arches of the crossing are walled up, possibly 15th-C work coeval with the insertion of the now largely ruined central tower (Killanin and Duignan 1967, 51). The N wall of the chancel bears 15th-C mural paintings depicting the Holy Trinity, the martyrdom of St Sebastian and the Three Dead and Three Live Kings (Crawford 1919; Leask 1960b, 174-5). The claustural buildings and ruined cloister lie to S, but only E wing, including the sacristy, chapter house and a later garderobe, is well preserved. The ruins of a rectangular building (E-W; L 11.35m, Wth 5m) (GA058-004002-), probably of post-medieval date (Sweetman 1987, 9-11), lie immediately to N. A modern mill (GA058-004005-), 325m to W, is said to occupy the site of the original abbey mill (Cochrane 1904, 247-8). A field system (GA058-004004-) and three holy wells (GA058-004007-) are also associated. (Crawford 1913, 152; Harbison 1975, 96)