Approaching the Tower at Muckross Abbey
Muckross Abbey was a Franciscan Friary that was built in 1448. It is in a secluded area within Killarney National Park but easily accessed by a walking path. These days, the abbey is already in ruins but considering its age, it is in remarkable condition. Visitors would be entering through the side of what was the church. From here visitors have a choice of seeing the cemetery of seeing the friary ruins. The church is the largest structure in the complex and it include an old church tower. The roofs of the old church and tower are long gone but a lot of the details of the church are still intact.
Inside the Church of Muckross Abbey
In particular, the windows of the church give you an idea of how the church was back then. There a number of tombs inside the church which seems to be common practice back then. These days no one is buried inside the church anymore but rather at the cemetery outside. I was quite amazed how well preserved the church building is, barring the roof which was probably taken down because of safety concerns. The plaster on the walls has long fallen off and you can’t tell how it looked like before. It is rather frustrating not to have an idea how how it really looked like but I guess this just relies on your imagination.
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