Latest news with #KylemoreAbbey
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
A Year at Kylemore Abbey: Clarkson's Farm with rosary beads will leave you nun the wiser
The title of The Hills Are Alive: A Year at Kylemore Abbey (RTÉ One, 6.30pm) is obviously intended to evoke images of Julie Andrews , aka the singing nun from The Sound of Music, gambolling over Alpine meadows at full throttle. But while Andrews may have become TV's most famous wimple-wearer simply by warbling The Hills Are Alive this wistful documentary is a more meditative affair – which doesn't quite do what it says on the tin. RTÉ has pitched the Hills Are Alive as telling the story of a community of Benedictine nuns as they 'battle to save their castle monastery and their centuries-old way of life' – but the focus is largely on Kylemore Abbey itself, today a booming tourist spot and biodiversity centre. Some viewers will consider this a let down. We were promised Sister Act in Connemara , yet the three-part series is in the main about the challenges of running a small rural business dependent on attracting a steady flow of tourists. In other words, Clarkson's Farm with rosary beads. READ MORE Still, as a cosy watch, it ticks the boxes with a gentle efficiency. A Year at Kylemore Abbey isn't going to send anyone's pulse sky high – but, then, isn't balmy, calming viewing exactly what you want as the weekend draws to an end? The nuns are a thoughtful bunch, though there is a temptation to read between the lines when Sister Genevieve Harrington diplomatically explains that living with other members of the order is like being shacked up with your family. 'There are times when you fall out of love. All your goodwill and forbearance is tried and tested,' she says. 'In any relationship you have made a decision to love. Love is a decision. It's not a feeling. It's the people God has placed you with and not the ones you would have chosen for yourself. So you learn to get along.' Her smile never wavers though her eyes are briefly full of mischief: the Lord may move in mysterious ways but he is clearly an old hand at helping you get on with awkward housemates. [ TV guide: the best new shows to watch, starting tonight Opens in new window ] Kylemore Abbey, a Benedictine Monastery built on the grounds of Kylemore Castle, by Pollacappul Lough. Photograph: Betend A/ Andia/ Universal Images Group via Getty Images Elsewhere the series is more formulaic and at moments verges on advertorial (no surprise given that Tourism Ireland co-funded the project). Coach-loads of American tourists are disgorged at Kylemore, built in 1868 by Manchester textile magnate Michael Henry and taken over by the Benedictines in 1920, who operated a girls school on the site until in 2010. Backstage, the nuns stay busy, overseeing the production of bespoke Kylemore scented candles – though the indefatigable Sr Harrington is more dubious about plans for nun-shaped chocolates. The Benedictines are a closed order and, just like Cork hurling supporters since the All-Ireland final, spend much of the week in silent contemplation. They generally only speak to each other at weekends or during one of their regular board game nights – which, disappointingly, turn out to consist of Snakes and Ladders rather than Warhammer or Secret Hitler. The life of a nun in the 21st century is one of calmness amid a world of chaos and distraction. That experience is captured by this documentary though you wish it had a little more pep in its step. Early on, it settles into a formulaic groove and, much like its pious subjects, it just can't shake the habit. The Hills Are Alive: A Year at Kylemore Abbey is on RTÉ One, 6.30pm, Sunday
Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
A holy communion: How new vocations – and plenty of visitors – help to keep the doors of Kylemore Abbey open
A balance of faith and finance In a world of reality TV, we are all used to the tropes of on-screen 'true-life' drama these days, but it is unusual to see these played out in a community of Benedictine nuns. In The Hills Are Alive: A Year At Kylemore Abbey, a new three-part series on RTÉ, the problems are specific to an estate that now welcomes nearly 500,000 visitors a year. There's the storm that has destroyed ancient trees on the 1,000-acre estate in the wilds of Connemara; a tourist gone missing from a coach tour; new flavours of chocolate to be chosen.
Irish Times
18-06-2025
- General
- Irish Times
Benedictine monastery at Kylemore Abbey voted Ireland's favourite building at RIAI awards
The Benedictine monastery at Kylemore Abbey in Connemara , Co Galway , has been voted as Ireland's favourite building as part of this year's Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI) awards. The monastery, designed by Mayo -based architect Michael Horan of Axo Architects, topped the ballot in the public choice category, for which 14,000 votes were cast. The monastery ' is a remarkable example of how thoughtful, context-sensitive architecture can enhance both place and purpose', said RIAI president Seán Mahon. '[It] demonstrates a deep understanding of heritage, landscape, and community, creating a space that feels both grounded in tradition and relevant to the present. READ MORE Benedictine Monastery at Kylemore Abbey. Photograph: Peter Molloy Benedictine Monastery at Kylemore Abbey. Photograph: Peter Molloy Benedictine Monastery at Kylemore Abbey. Photograph: Peter Molloy 'We are thrilled to see the public recognise and celebrate architecture that enriches lives and contributes meaningfully to a much loved natural landscape and environment.' On the edge of Pollacappul Lough, beneath the Duchruach Mountain and close to Kylemore Abbey, the new monastery 'harmoniously integrates with its dramatic surroundings', the RIAI said. 'Drawing on monastic traditions, the design evolves from a central garth and cloister, unfolding into a series of brick volumes of varying height and scale. The result is a serene and timeless structure that quietly complements its landscape through sensitive consideration of context, scale, materiality and visual harmony.' The monastery took first place out of 48 shortlisted projects with the Arklow Wastewater Treatment Plant in Co Wicklow by Clancy Moore Architects in collaboration with Ayesha Engineers coming second. Scoil Naomh Bríd in Culleens, Ballina, Co Mayo, by SJK Architects took third place. The Arklow Wastewater Treatment Plant is described by the RIAI as 'a pioneering piece of civic infrastructure that embodies public good', while it says the 12-classroom building at Scoil Naomh Bríd is 'filled with daylight, delight, colour and joy'. The redevelopment of the Dún Laoghaire Baths in south Co Dublin by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council architects and A2 Architects, which opened up a 400m stretch of coastline, came in fourth. The RIAI's awards ceremony will take place on Thursday evening at the Merrion Cricket Pavilion on Anglesea Road, Dublin 4, where the full list of winners from all categories will be announced. Arklow Wastewater Treatment Plant Arklow Wastewater Treatment Plant Scoil Naomh Bríd, Culleens Scoil Naomh Bríd, Culleens Scoil Naomh Bríd, Culleens Scoil Naomh Bríd, Culleens
