The road to Kylemore Abbey

I rolled down the window to feel the wind on my face, and take in the mountains that whizzed past us. Ireland and I alive, and in the best of spirits on this warm August day.

"You guys are fortunate," my husband's cousin said, turning back to look at us momentarily as he drove over the winding roads toward Kylemore Abbey.

We didn't deny it.

Ireland is known for its fickle weather. So, if the gods decided to give us warm and sunny instead of gloomy and showery, we weren't complaining.

The Irish landscape was as breathtaking as the pictures made it seem.  

I expected the tall rocky mountains and acres of green farmland. What I didn't expect were the thousands of freely roaming Irish cattle.

From a distance, the animals gave an illusion of almost being a part of the mountain landscape.

"Mom! Look, that one's a rock, for sure", my 8-year-old son would claim, only to be proven wrong, as the 'rock' would move up the mountain slope to its next green meal.

Coming from the US, where I am inundated with images of animals packed into a cage half their size, this sight was a welcome change. Freedom is a precious thing - even if you are an animal.

The Journey from Galway

Our journey to Kylemore Abbey started from Galway city, a thriving and cosmopolitan hub on the west coast of Ireland. While the cities in Ireland are seats of art and culture, the true beauty of Ireland lies in its expansive landscapes.

The road trip on routes N59 and R344 from Galway city gave us a glimpse of exactly that.

Scattered along the route are many ‘Loughs’ or lakes as we know them in English. Each one more vivid and alive than the previous. On many an occasion, we veered off into one of the loughs, mesmerized by the majestic mountains and it's serene surroundings.

People were biking and backpacking along the route, much like the Wild Atlantic Way, a 1600 miles (2600 km) long coastal route that spans from north to south.

We explored some parts of the Wild Atlantic Way on our way back from the Abbey but more on that in my next post.

The Abbey and surrounding region

The Kylemore Abbey is a sanctuary set in the heart of the Connemara region about an hour away from Galway city. It has been home to the benedictine nuns for the past 100 years.

The 1000-acre estate includes many woodland walks, a Neogothic Church, and a Victorian Walled garden in addition to the Kylemore Abbey pictured above.

• The estate was built in the late 1800s by Mitchell Henry MP, a wealthy businessman who wanted to create a place that boasted of ‘all innovations of the modern age.’
• Today Kylemore Abbey is owned and run by the Benedictine community, who have been here since 1920.
• Only the first floor of the Abbey is open to visitors. This was disappointing, as we could not appreciate the true magnificence of this massive building.
• The higher floors are in use by the Benedictine nuns.
• We spent about 2 hours at the estate, but this could easily go up if you decide to walk along the innumerable wooded paths.
• There are a few eating options on the estate, though I would recommend trying one of the local restaurants in the Connemara region.

The Neogothic Church

• This fourteenth-century style church was built by Mitchell Henry to honor his wife Margaret’s death.
• In 1874 while holidaying in Egypt, Margaret contracted dysentery and passed away. Her embalmed body was brought back to Kylemore, where she rests in a mausoleum on the estate grounds.
• Today the church hosts masses, music recitals, and other special events.
• For more information on the church, click here.

The Victorian Walled Gardens

• The gardens are an integral part of the Kylemore experience. Developed in the late 1800s, the gardens include 6 acres of flowers, glass houses, vegetable and herb gardens, among other features.
• We took a short tram ride to get there, but walking to the gardens is also an option.

God’s own goat cheese

The expansive acreage of the estate required quite a bit of walking, and in the end, we were all famished. We drove out of the Abbey and found ourselves a local restaurant.

A ravenous me eagerly awaited the ‘house special’ salad that the menu boasted. When the server brought what can best be described as a ‘dirty round blob of rubber’ sitting in my bowl of fresh, crisp greens, candied walnuts, and red cranberries, I was horrified.

I took a deep breath (just like I tell you all to do) and inspected the ‘blob’ a little further. It turned out to be the ‘rind’ of the cheese - an outer shell that forms during the cheese-making process. Once pried open, the inside revealed the freshest, most delectably crumbly goat cheese, I have ever had.

The food was a true assault on all my senses - The sweetness of the candied walnuts, the tartness of the cranberries and the intense flavor of the goat cheese mixed in with the slight bitterness of the greens.

My awareness wandered to the free-roaming goats again. “All that sunshine and good food sure made them happy,” I thought, smiling to myself as I savoured the cheese.

We ended the meal with a toast to Ireland.

“To its sunshine, its cheeses’ and to learning how to be happy from the goats - bask in the sun, eat all you want and roam the world freely.”

A life worth living. Don't you think?

Liked what you just read? Click here for another breathtaking Ireland attraction.