Muckross_Abbey
Muckross Abbey (Irish: Mainistir Locha Léin and Mainistir Mhucrois) is one of the major ecclesiastical sites, found in the Killarney National Park, County Kerry, Ireland. It was founded in 1448 as a Franciscan friary for the Observantine Franciscans by Donal McCarthy Mor.[1]
It has had a violent history and has been damaged and reconstructed many times. The friars were often subjected to raids by marauding groups and were persecuted by Cromwellian forces under Lord Ludlow.[2] Today the abbey is largely roofless but is otherwise generally quite well-preserved. Its most striking feature is a central courtyard, which contains a large yew tree and is surrounded by a vaulted cloister.[3]
In the 17th and 18th centuries, it became the burial place for prominent County Kerry poets O'Donoghue, Ó Rathaille and Ó Súilleabháin, while Piaras Feiritéar is buried in the graveyard just outside.[4]
