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Imagine an abbey built in 630, in the county of Westmeath, now in ruins, and endowed with unrivalled charm. This is how Fore Abbey might be described, a magnificent Gothic Benedictine building of which all that remains today are the ruined walls, lost in the Irish countryside around Collinstown.

History of Fore Abbey

The Fore Abbey – Fiona MacGinty – cc

When Fore Abbey was built, over 300 monks came to make it one of Ireland’s major religious and cultural centers. Everyone gathered around the Benedictine abbot Saint Fechin. A village was then built in a valley not far from the abbey, along with a cemetery dotted with beautiful Celtic crosses. There are over 18 of them!

Between 771 and 1169, however, the abbey entrance was burnt more than 12 times.

Today, unfortunately, few traces of this religious center remain, with the exception of the abbey and the ruins of a small chapel less than 500 meters from the Benedictine monastery.

Visit Fore Abbey

Fore Abbey is open to the public, and you can explore the ruins of the monastery and the chapel of Saint Fechin.

Although the monuments are now in ruins, you’ll find some similarities in the Abbey’s architectural style to that of Brittany’s Mont Saint Michel. The style is deeply Gothic, with exquisite ornamentation, low walls still standing, intact vaults and arches, and carvings in the stone…

Don’t miss the Fore village cemetery, where many Benedictine monks and pilgrims were buried. The cemetery boasts a huge collection of large Celtic crosses, some of which have unfortunately not been spared the rigors of time. Don’t hesitate to admire them: some have been so finely engraved that you can still easily make out their features!

Finally, if you like to go for a walk, it’s a good idea to go along Lough Lene, and reach the Gallagher Moteens and the Cistes tombs: these are Bronze Age and Stone Age tombs respectively.

Practical Guide