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PHOTOGRAPHY & DIGITAL ARTWORK by SHAWN O'BRIEN
Image licenses & fine art prints sold internationally to collectors, publishers & advertisers.
Irish Abbeys & Priories
cornerstones of medieval irish life
Ireland is home to hundreds of abbeys, priories, friaries and monasteries in various states of repair. Since the island's medieval conversion to Catholicism by Saint Patrick, these holy houses became the heart of Irish culture and the physical centers of just about all Irish settlements.
Today, except for a small handful of well known sites, most ruins are largely unvisited by tourists. Many sites are quite large and you can spend hours exploring without seeing another living soul.
 Carving in Ross Errilley Friary |  Boyle Abbey Carving |  Glendalough Round Towers |  Jerpoint Abbey Celtic High Cross |
|---|---|---|---|
 Corcomroe Abbey Ruins |  Corcomroe Abbey Ruins |  Jerpoint Abbey Tomb Weepers |  Corcomroe Abbey Column Carving |
 Jerpoint Abbey Cloister Column Base |  St Joseph Statue Athassel Priory |  Boyle Abbey Arch |  Boyle Abbey Carving |
 Kells Priory Gatehouse Co Kilkenny |  Corcomroe Abbey Columns and Window |  Ross Errilley Friary |  Corcomroe Column Flower Carvings |
 dsc_0339adj_fullhd_wm |  Ross Errilley Friary Exterior |  Ross Errilley Friary Cloister Arcade |  Athassel Priory Ruins |
 Glendalough Ruins |  Jerpoint Abbey Cloister Figure |  Boyle Abbey Arch & Carving |  Inside Boyle Abbey Round Tower |
 Boyle Abbey Carving |  Boyle Abbey Carving |  Boyle Abbey Arcade |  Jerpoint Abbey Nave Ruins |
 Jerpoint Abbey Cloister |
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