Monastic Sites of Ireland: map and guide by county
973 monastic sites on one map, county by county.
Illustrative image
Early medieval monastic sites and ecclesiastical enclosures, often linked to an early Irish saint, usually with a church, a graveyard and a curving boundary.
Every monastic site with a reliable location in the Republic is on the map below. The best-documented ones have a page of their own.
9 of these pages quote recorded folklore - see folklore and traditions.
Where they are
Darker = more recorded. Most in Kerry, Galway, Westmeath.
Types recorded
- Ecclesiastical enclosure848 recorded
- Ecclesiastical site125 recorded
Map of monastic sites
Sites you can visit
Listed by the National Monuments Service or promoted by Fáilte Ireland as visitor attractions.
Old Kilcullen Monastic Site
Ecclesiastical site · Oldkilcullen · Kildare
Visitor site National MonumentReask Monastic Site
Ecclesiastical enclosure · An Riasc · Kerry
Featured monastic sites
Visitor site National MonumentReask Monastic Site
Ecclesiastical enclosure · An Riasc · Kerry
Visitor site National MonumentOld Kilcullen Monastic Site
Ecclesiastical site · Oldkilcullen · Kildare
National MonumentChurch Island - Lough Currane
Ecclesiastical site · Church Island (Iveragh By., Loughcurrane Ed) · Kerry
National MonumentChurch Island - Valentia Harbour
Ecclesiastical enclosure · Church Island (Iveragh By., Castlequin Ed) · Kerry
National MonumentGrangefertagh
Ecclesiastical enclosure · Grangefertagh · Kilkenny
National MonumentIllaunloughan
Ecclesiastical enclosure · Illaunloughan,Portmagee · Kerry
National MonumentIllauntannig Early Medieval Ecclesiastical Site
Ecclesiastical enclosure · Illauntannig · Kerry
National MonumentInchcleraun Early Medieval Ecclesiastical Site
Ecclesiastical enclosure · Inchcleraun · Longford
National MonumentInishmurray Island Early Medieval Ecclesiastical Site
Ecclesiastical enclosure · Inishmurray · Sligo
National MonumentInnisfallen Church, Oratories & Abbey
Ecclesiastical site · Innisfallen · Kerry
National MonumentKilbennan Monastery
Ecclesiastical enclosure · Ballygaddy,Pollacorragune,Tonlegee (Dunmore By.) · Galway
National MonumentKilmalkedar
Ecclesiastical site · Cill Maoilchéadair · Kerry
Monastic Sites by county
| County | On the map | Named, with notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kerry | 106 | 13 |
| Galway | 94 | 4 |
| Westmeath | 92 | 0 |
| Cork | 90 | 1 |
| Dublin | 56 | 1 |
| Kildare | 55 | 2 |
| Wicklow | 47 | 0 |
| Roscommon | 42 | 0 |
| Clare | 41 | 1 |
| Tipperary | 40 | 2 |
| Wexford | 38 | 0 |
| Laois | 32 | 0 |
| Waterford | 27 | 0 |
| Mayo | 25 | 1 |
| Offaly | 25 | 1 |
| Sligo | 25 | 1 |
| Donegal | 24 | 2 |
| Kilkenny | 23 | 1 |
| Louth | 18 | 1 |
| Meath | 18 | 0 |
| Limerick | 15 | 0 |
| Longford | 13 | 1 |
| Carlow | 11 | 0 |
| Monaghan | 6 | 0 |
| Cavan | 5 | 0 |
| Leitrim | 5 | 1 |
Source: Archaeological Survey of Ireland (SMR, 1 December 2025), National Monuments Service, CC BY 4.0; names from NMS, Wikidata and Fáilte Ireland. Records without a mapped location are not shown.