The longest abbey in Ireland

Dunbrody Abbey was founded in 1170 on the grounds of a former Cistercian monastery under the instructions of Strongbow’s uncle – Herve de Montmorency. When completed in 1220 this was one of the longest abbeys in Ireland with a length of 59 m. The abbey was dissolved under Henry VIII’s Reformation and the last abbot of Dunbrody, Alexander Devereux, became Bishop of Ferns in 1539. To get this position he granted the abbey and all its possessions to Henry and then changed religion! It then came into the possession of the Chichester family in 1642 who still own the lands to this day. The grounds have one of the only two full-sized hedge mazes in Ireland. The abbey was handed to the OPW in 1911 but the visitor center is still run by the current Marquess of Donegall.