We had just visited Monasterboice and saw a sign for the Abbey so we thought we'd try to find it - we had no idea what an important site it was until after we returned home and I did some research!

Visited this site in February so there was no waiting in line or admission fee. This is the first Cistercian monastery in Ireland founded in 1142 by St Malachy of Armagh, its most unusual feature is its octagonal shape. We visited this while on a trip to Newgrange its a nice quiet stop off with an opportunity for a few... More

Lovely spot, beautiful abbey ruins, excellent place for a romantic picnic or bring the children to play and eat outside. Really best to o when the sun will shine though. Loved days out here as a child :)

A little bit of maagic from my childhood. You almost feel the monks and especially if you go early on crisp spring morning

It was easy to imagine the activity that took place at this site so many years ago. Seeing the destruction of such expansive site is certainly sad. We recommend this as a stop on your tour through Ireland.

Im very fortunate that my boys share my love history and when a 7 year old can give you a lesson on how monks lived then you know that in between all the running round and climbing on rocks they actually learned something! Beautiful well preserved ruins a must for history lovers.

This is the kind of Abbey that I have always wanted to visit. It's so tranquil and peaceful here. In a word, lovely.

I thought it was still interesting to visit, but it definitely wouldn't be my first place to go. Everything is so run down, you have to have a good imagination for it. If you have time to kill, go, but don't put this on your list as a "must".

This was our second visit to the Abbey and out of season. There were workmen that allow us to view inside the Abbey store. They were working on the interior. The building was interesting and beauitful.