abbeys abbeyshrule

Abbeyshrule is situated east of Ballymahon in a picturesque valley of the River Inny. A Cistercian Abbey was founded here in 1150 and was one of the earliest in the country following the success of the first foundation at Melifont in County Louth. The Abbey was founded by the O'Farrells and was eventually closed by Queen Elizabeth 1 during the Tudor suppression of the monasteries. The lands were granted to Robert Dillon, Earl of Roscommon. The adjoining graveyard contains part of the only hi...

A focal point of the northern midlands where the provinces of Leinster, Ulster and Connaught all converge, Longford, where history and literature, tragedy and triumph are all woven together, takes its name from the ancient stronghold of the O'Farrell family (Long Fort - Fort of the O'Farrells). Bordered to the West by the majestic River Shannon, Longford is a county of rolling plains and picturesque stretches of water. The highest pint of the county, Cairn Hill, is only 279 m high, but from a...