Besides the splendid natural landscapes and the beautiful scenery of the Irish Killarney National Park is famous for its variety of historical and architectural attractions, among them special attention, of course, deserves a Franciscan Monastery - Muckross Abbey, and more precisely - its ruins. The old monastery is located in the heart of the reserve is about a ten minute walk from the no less interesting manor Muckross House and accessible to visitors all year round and is absolutely free.

Muckross Abbey was founded by monks of the Franciscan order in 1448 on the ruins of an ancient monastery, built, as legend has it, holy Fionanom early as the 6th century. During its turbulent history the monastery was repeatedly attacked and looted, and the monks themselves several times been forced to leave the holy abode. Finally the monks left the abbey in the late 17th century.

Today, Muckross Abbey is in a pretty sorry state, although the monastery walls firmly resist time and you can still see the church bell tower and surrounded by arched arcade of the central courtyard. In the center of the yard grows a huge old yew, which, according to the Irish, the years as much as himself and the abbey.

Near the monastery walls, you will see an old cemetery where the remains of some of the family members of the once powerful local clans. It also found their last resting place, and such as the famous Irish poets O'Donoghue, O'Sullivan and O'Reilly. Cemetery Muckross Abbey and today is an active, so close to the ancient moss-covered gravestones and lopsided crosses, inscriptions on which it is already impossible to distinguish, there are fresh burial.