Kylemore Abbey
On our second day in Connemara, we drove to see Kylemore Abbey. The abbey is currently a boarding school for girls. Let me just say, I would love to be a student here, wouldn’t you? The estate was originally built for the owner’s wife, who passed away. Then it was converted to the abbey, and finally the boarding school. 
The abbey overlooks a gorgeous lake, surrounded by mountains. It’s quiet, serene, and it has a wonderful walkway along the lake where you can see mountain waterfalls and even a statue of Jesus with his arms raised out, tucked away in the mountain. Several trees are numbered, and it’s our guess that these were likely part of a botany or biology class for students to identify.
Further down the walk, you come to a miniature cathedral. 
The architecture is Gothic, and inside, there are marble columns from each part of Ireland. The Cathedral was just beautiful inside, and they played soft, reflective music by a girls’ choir.
You can see a picture of the columns and the interior of the church here: 
One of my other books is set in Victorian England, and it was fascinating to see the interior of the Kylemore estate. The first room you enter has items belonging to the abbey and priestly garments. 
The next room would most likely be considered the drawing room. 
I have these three pictures of the interior. Some of my favorite items were the chess set, the piano, and the bookcases. 
And last, but not least, who could resist eating in a dining room like this one? 
There were signs warning visitors to stay away from the dining room table (which held real silver and Waterford crystal). An alarm system was in place to protect it.
After we finished touring the estate, we continued to the formal gardens. There were formal gardens like in this photograph, and if you look at the very back, you’ll see a glass house. There’s nothing in the middle, but it used to be a glass house that spanned the entire width of the formal gardens. They’re in the process of trying to rebuild it the way it used to be. All sorts of exotic plants like a Monkey’s puzzle tree and these large Brazilian plants, were growing. Inside the glass house were varieties of tomato, peppers, and strange yellow cucumbers. They also had grape vines.
In the second section of the gardens, there was every kind of fruit, vegetable, and herb you could think of. Orchards were on one side, while other sections held strawberries. There were vegetables to include potatoes, zucchini, and squash. I can imagine the boarding school girls having to tend a small plot, just to keep a garden of this size going!
What’s the most exotic thing you’ve ever grown in a garden?
Michelle posted in Ireland Tales @ 4:34 pm | Viewed 2888 times
Tori Lennox Says:
It’s magnificent, Michelle!!!
Bonnie Ferguson Says:
These pictures are just exquisite! :confused:
Robyn Says:
I’ve always thought that boarding school was kind of cruel. I know I couldn’t let my kids out of my sight that long. But I think both my daughter and I would fight to stay at a place like that!
My mom was watering her garden once when a mound of dirt erupted. She was a little freaked until a dozen little bunnies came shooting out of it and ran off.
Melissa Says:
What an absolutely GORGEOUS place!
Kelly Says:
Love the pixs - awesome!
And was it just me or did the cathedral look to be on a slant…??
LauraP Says:
What a beautiful place! The gardens, the view across the water…sigh.
Teresa Says:
Wow, talk about a lovely place to go to school!
And those gardens, wow - incredible. As for exotic things we’ve grown, well, I think eggplant is about as exotic as we’ve ever been. Though that was back East, where the winters are cold. Hopefully next year we’ll have a garden and can try something more unusual, now we’re in a more temperate climate
Michelle Says:
Robyn–I think I could suffer in a boarding school like that one.
Kelly–I couldn’t figure out what happened with that cathedral pictures. Maybe it got distorted when I resized it. Go figure.
Teresa–I’ve never grown eggplant. Jalapeno peppers were the big experiment this year.
April A. Says:
WOW! Beautiful! I can’t imagine what it must have been like to be standing there. Amazing!
The most exotic thing I’ve planted was probably butternut squash. It’s not so exotic, I’d just never cooked with it before. But it’s delicious!
Larissa Says:
Okay, coming to your blog is actually PAINFUL now! I’m having really sharp homesickness pangs for Britain.
Great pics, though!
Anna Lucia Says:
Oh wow, Michelle! Gorgeous…
Probably the numbered trees are important specimens or species collected elsewhere. Part of the garden’s arboretum, maybe?
jaq Says:
These pictures are incredible, Michelle!:thumbsup:
Phillipa Ashley Says:
Michelle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:crazyjumping:
I ONLY JUST FOUND OUT ABOUT YOUR SALE AND I AM OVER THE MOON FOR YOU.