Cong Abbey
Cong Abbey is set in the charming village of Cong in County Mayo. This area is perhaps best known now for featuring in the famous film The Quiet Man featuring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara, and for the renowned luxury hotel Ashford Castle. Though Cong is a deeply historic place set within an unusual, and beautiful, landscape, replete with lakes, rivers, islands, caves, streams and forests.
Lough Mask and Lough Corrib are two of Ireland’s largest lakes, and together they separate the wild landscapes of Connemara from the more fertile lowland pastures of Mayo. A narrow isthmus of land separates the two lakes, and it was on this liminal landscape that St Féichín established an early monastery in c.AD 624, and it is from this foundation that Cong derives its name – Cunga Fheichin – the Isthmus of St Féichín. He was a significant saint who founded a number of sites in Connacht especially. Though he is perhaps most associated with the large monastery at Fore in County Westmeath. He is said to have died in around AD 668 of the great plague known as Buidhe Chonaill.
Little remains to be seen of Féichín’s early monastery, instead the ruins that we see today relate to an Augustinian Abbey founded in c.1137 by
the King of Connacht, Tairdelbach Ua Conchobair (Turlough O’Conor). He was a significant driving force in Connacht’s rise in power, constructing strong forts and even a navy. As well as a successful military and political leader, he was also a significant patron of the church, and he was behind foundations like Cong Abbey and Inishmaine, along with a new cathedral at Tuam, as well as the commissioning of spectacular treasures such as the Cross of Cong (see below).
Cong Abbey was the first Augustinian house in Connacht. It’s foundation can be seen in the context of the broader Irish church reform of the 12th century, especially as a result of the Synod of Ráth Breasail in 1111. That synod moved Ireland from a monastic into a parish-based and diocesan system, under the auspices of bishops.
The province of Connacht was divided into five dioceses, each with its own bishop, Killala in the north, Clonfert in the south, Tuam in the east, and Cong in the west, along with Ardcarne that extended to the north-east into the old Kingdom of Bréifne. As a doicesan centre, Cong had prestige and influence, and Tairdelbach reinforced that by inviting the Augustinians to establish their first priory in Connacht here. It was presided over by the Ui Dubthaig (O’Duffys), one of the most influential ecclesiastical dynasties of the period.
Tairdelbach’s son, and successor of King of Connacht, Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair, continued to invest, and he retired to Cong Abbey when he was usurped as King of Connacht. By that time he was elderly, and he was likely over 80 years old when he died here in 1198. Three decades earlier, he had been the High King, who had tried to steer Connacht, and Ireland, through one of the most tumultuous periods in its history. A time of internecine warfare that resulted in the arrival of the Normans. He was originally buried here at Cong, but in 1207 was reinterred at Clonmacnoise alongside his dynastic forebears.
A number of his relations are said to be interred here at Cong Abbey, including his daughters Nuala and Finola, and his son Muirghes Cananach who served as a canon here. In the record of his death in 1224 in the Annals of Loch Cé, Muirghes Cananach was described as ‘the most expert man that ever came of the Gael in reading, and in psalm-singing, and in versemaking.’
Cong Abbey is set in the charming village of Cong in County Mayo. This area is perhaps best known now for featuring in the famous film The Quiet Man featuring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara, and for the renowned luxury hotel Ashford Castle. Though Cong is a deeply historic place set within an unusual, and beautiful, landscape, replete with lakes, rivers, islands, caves, streams and forests.
Lough Mask and Lough Corrib are two of Ireland’s largest lakes, and together they separate the wild landscapes of Connemara from the more fertile lowland pastures of Mayo. A narrow isthmus of land separates the two lakes, and it was on this liminal landscape that St Féichín established an early monastery in c.AD 624, and it is from this foundation that Cong derives its name – Cunga Fheichin – the Isthmus of St Féichín. He was a significant saint who founded a number of sites in Connacht especially. Though he is perhaps most associated with the large monastery at Fore in County Westmeath. He is said to have died in around AD 668 of the great plague known as Buidhe Chonaill.
Little remains to be seen of Féichín’s early monastery, instead the ruins that we see today relate to an Augustinian Abbey founded in c.1137 by
the King of Connacht, Tairdelbach Ua Conchobair (Turlough O’Conor). He was a significant driving force in Connacht’s rise in power, constructing strong forts and even a navy. As well as a successful military and political leader, he was also a significant patron of the church, and he was behind foundations like Cong Abbey and Inishmaine, along with a new cathedral at Tuam, as well as the commissioning of spectacular treasures such as the Cross of Cong (see below).
Cong Abbey was the first Augustinian house in Connacht. It’s foundation can be seen in the context of the broader Irish church reform of the 12th century, especially as a result of the Synod of Ráth Breasail in 1111. That synod moved Ireland from a monastic into a parish-based and diocesan system, under the auspices of bishops.
The province of Connacht was divided into five dioceses, each with its own bishop, Killala in the north, Clonfert in the south, Tuam in the east, and Cong in the west, along with Ardcarne that extended to the north-east into the old Kingdom of Bréifne. As a doicesan centre, Cong had prestige and influence, and Tairdelbach reinforced that by inviting the Augustinians to establish their first priory in Connacht here. It was ruled by the Ui Dubthaig (O’Duffys), one of the most influential ecclesiastical dynasties of the period.
Tairdelbach’s son, and successor of King of Connacht, Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair, continued to invest, and he retired to Cong Abbey when he was usurped as King of Connacht. By that time he was elderly, and he was likely over 80 years old when he died here in 1198. Three decades earlier, he had been the High King, who had tried to steer Connacht, and Ireland, through one of the most tumultuous periods in its history. A time of internecine warfare that resulted in the arrival of the Normans. He was originally buried here at Cong, but in 1207 was reinterred at Clonmacnoise alongside his dynastic forebears.
A number of his relations are said to be interred here at Cong Abbey, including his daughters Nuala and Finola, and his son Muirghes Cananach who served as a canon here. In the record of his death in 1224 in the Annals of Loch Cé, Muirghes Cananach was described as ‘the most expert man that ever came of the Gael in reading, and in psalm-singing, and in versemaking.’
Cong Abbey was attacked in both 1201 and 1204 by the Anglo-Norman warlord William de Burgo, who caused widespread destruction. The ruins that we see today largely relate to the period of reconstruction that followed de Burgo’s attacks. The abbey was rededicated at this time to Our Lady of the Rosary.
Cong Abbey was suppressed sometime after 1542. The notorious Sir Richard Bingham, the Tudor Lord President of Connaught, used the former De Burgh castle (that later became Ashford Castle) as a base. His proximity meant that the priors left Cong, and the abbey eventually slid into ruin. However, the name continued, and the last abbot of Cong was Father Patrick Prendergast, who served parish priest of Cong from 1795 until his death in 1829. It was he who preserved the Cross of Cong, before it was purchased after his death by James MacCullagh and donated to the Royal Irish Academy (see below for more on the Cross of Cong).
Though the ruins of Cong Abbey are not enormously extensive, they reflect some of Ireland’s finest stonework of its era.
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Cong Abbey • Mayo
Cong Abbey was attacked in both 1201 and 1204 by the Anglo-Norman warlord William de Burgo, who caused widespread destruction. The ruins that we see today largely relate to the period of reconstruction that followed de Burgo’s attacks. The abbey was rededicated at this time to Our Lady of the Rosary.
Cong Abbey was suppressed sometime after 1542. The notorious Sir Richard Bingham, the Tudor Lord President of Connaught, used the former De Burgh castle (that later became Ashford Castle) as a base. His proximity meant that the priors left Cong, and the abbey eventually slid into ruin. However, the name continued, and the last abbot of Cong was Father Patrick Prendergast, who served parish priest of Cong from 1795 until his death in 1829. It was he who preserved the Cross of Cong, before it was purchased after his death by James MacCullagh and donated to the Royal Irish Academy (see below for more on the Cross of Cong).
Though the ruins of Cong Abbey are not enormously extensive, they reflect some of Ireland’s finest stonework of its era.
The Architecture of Cong Abbey and the School of the West
The slype doorway • Cong Abbey
The remains you can see at Cong Abbey today reflect a number of periods of reconstruction and reuse. Significant amounts of this reconstruction was carried out under the auspices of Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness, who commissioned the conservation of the abbey, along with other ancient monuments nearby like Inchagoill island. The Guinness family had purchased around 3,500 acres of the area around Cong in 1852, and redeveloped Ashford Castle into their palatial home.
Parts of the 13th century church survive, though it has been altered by reconstruction in the 19th century, and the interior has been used as a graveyard. The church is now entered through a late-Romanesque doorway in the northern wall, though this doorway was relocated here in the 19th century, and likely originally stood in the southern wall. Similarly parts of the cloister were also reconstructed in the 19th century, though the north-eastern part is believed to be original. Next to the cloister you can see fine doorway, that led to the Chapter House, where where the monastery’s business was conducted and a chapter of the rule read every day. This was also where the community gathered to confess their sins publicly.
The architectural style of many of the earlier aspects of Cong Abbey falls into what the pioneering architectural historian Harold Leask coined in 1960 as the ‘School of the West’. This architectural style appears at a number of sites that can all be found west of the River Shannon, principally within the old kingdoms of Connacht and Thomond. It dates to between the late 12th and first half of the 13th century.
Other sites with similar architectural style include the Cistercian abbeys at Boyle in Roscommon, Abbeyknockmoy in Galway, and Corcomoroe in the Burren, as well as the Augustinian foundations at Ballintubber and Inishmaine that are both close to Cong in Mayo. Given the geographical proximity and the same patrons being involved, it is reasonable to think that a number of these sites were likely served by the same group of masons and architects. Though the School of the West should be considered more of an architectural style, than all the work being done by a single guild of masons.
The slype doorway • Cong Abbey
The key features of the School of the West style includes delicately stylised ornament in relief carving that can be seen on capitals, corbels, windows and doorways, usually depicting plants or floral motifs like acanthus leaves, but it also occasionally includes strange animals and beasts, and human heads and figures. Other features include ribbed vaulting, and the use of both pointed and round-headed doorways and windows. In that sense it is a true transition between the Hiberno-Romanesque and Gothic architectural styles. This combination can most clearly be seen in the slype and chapter house doorway at Cong Abbey. They have a pointed head, typical of early Gothic architecture, while the elaborate ornamentation is more typical of the late-Romanesque.
The Monk’s Fishing House • Cong Abbey
The Monk’s Fishing House
One of the most photographed aspects of Cong Abbey is the structure known as the Monk’s Fishing House that is picturesquely set on the Cong River, around 90m west of the abbey. The ruins appear as a small mortared-stone roofless ruin, that is perched on a stone-built platform. It has two windows, of different architectural style, and a fireplace is set into the western wall with a chimney above. The building takes its name from a hole in the floor that offers direct access to the river below. The traditional story describes how the monks lowered a net through the hole to catch fish, and warmed themselves by the fireplace while they waited for the net to fill. The true purpose of this unusual building is less certain, and its appearance today is due to the reconstructions of the Guinness family in the 19th century. It may have served as a fishing place, or it may have been designed to monitor the weirs on the river.
The Monk’s Fishing House • Cong Abbey
The Monk’s Fishing House
One of the most photographed aspects of Cong Abbey is the structure known as the Monk’s Fishing House that is picturesquely set on the Cong River, around 90m west of the abbey. The ruins appear as a small mortared-stone roofless ruin, that is perched on a stone-built platform. It has two windows, of different architectural style, and a fireplace is set into the western wall with a chimney above. The building takes its name from a hole in the floor that offers direct access to the river below. The traditional story describes how the monks lowered a net through the hole to catch fish, and warmed themselves by the fireplace while they waited for the net to fill. The true purpose of this unusual building is less certain, and its appearance today is due to the reconstructions of the Guinness family in the 19th century. It may have served as a fishing place, or it may have been designed to monitor the weirs on the river.
The Cross of Cong
The Cross of Cong in the National Museum of Ireland
The Cross of Cong is one of the great treasures of Ireland. Its story began in around c.1122, when a reputed fragment of the True Cross, (the cross that Jesus Christ was crucified on), was brought to Ireland. The powerful and persuasive Tairdelbach was granted a tiny piece of the fragment, and he had it enshrined at Roscommon in 1123. As described in The Annals of Tigernach:
‘Christ’s Cross in Ireland this year, and a great tribute was given to it by the king of Ireland, Toirdhealbhach Ó Conchobhair, and he asked for some of it to keep in Ireland, and it was granted to him, and it was enshrined by him at Roscommon.’
The shrine is a true masterpiece, and described by Dr Pat Wallace, the former director of the National Museum of Ireland, as ‘both the last and one of the finest artistic efforts of our entire Early Christian period’. The decoration brings together a whole amalgamation of different artistic influences to create a cross that is both striking from a distance, and bewilderingly intricate when viewed at close quarters. The artistry echoes Insular Irish art, Scandinavian Urnes-style, and Continental Romanesque styles.
It is made from a core of oak core that is plated with cast bronze. A large polished rock crystal on the front of the cross at the junction of the arms and shaft was intended to both protect and to magnify the appearance of the relic, which does not survive. The rock crystal is set in a conical mount surrounded by a flange decorated with gold filigree, niello and blue and white glass bosses. The bronze plates on the surfaces of the cross are cast openwork and are decorated with ribbon-shaped intertwined animals.
The Cross of Cong in the National Museum of Ireland
The silver coated decoration bears inscriptions that request prayers for Turlough O Conor King of Ireland, under whose auspices this handiwork was made’, along with ’MuiredachUi Dubthaig, the Elder of Ireland’, ‘Domhnall son of Flanagan Ui Dubthaig, Bishop of Connacht, coarb of Common and of Ciarán in whose house this handiwork was made’ and Máel Ísú mac Bratáin Uí Echach who made this handiwork’
It was originally designed as a processional cross. Something to strike awe during religious ceremonies, feast days and high occasions. It was likely destined for Tairdelbach’s new cathedral at Tuam. The shrine was originally known as an Bachall Buí, but is better known today as the Cross of Cong, as it was last in the possession of Abbot Prendergast, the last Abbot of Cong, before it entered the collection of the Royal Irish Academy, and later the National Museum of Ireland. George Petrie Abbot Prendergast had acquired it after it was rediscovered along with a number of manuscripts in an old chest in a cottage of the village.
Today you can see the Cross of Cong in the Treasury Exhibition in the National Museum of Ireland, and you can dig much deeper into the story and artistry of the Cross of Cong in the excellent book by Griffin Murray.
Upper left: the chapter house • Lower left: delicate foliate decoration on a capital • Right: the cloister
Top: the chapter house • Middle: the cloister • Bottom: delicate foliate decoration on a capital
Cong Abbey Visitor Information
Located in the charming village, Cong Abbey has some of the finest architectural flourishes of medieval Ireland.
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