Mount Melleray Abbey, Cistercian Monastery, Cappoquin, Co. Waterford
If you are visiting or staying along the Knockmealdown region in South Tipperary for any period of time then a trip to Mount Melleray Monastery, just over the border in Waterford, is well worth the effort.
Mount Melleray Monastery, or Mount Melleray Abbey as it is often called, can be reached by travelling toward Cappoquin from Clogheen or by a road over the Knockmealdown Mountains from Newcastle. Travelling from Clogheen you’ll find it on the left if you turn left at the Cats Bar, from Newcastle the Monastery is on the right hand side as you approach the main road.
The Monastery is famous worldwide as one of the most spectacular you’re likely to come across no matter where you travel. It is also set in very tranquil and spectacular surroundings.
There is a guesthouse there should you wish to stay overnight and there is also a lovely little Café should you just wish to have a coffee or something to eat during your trip.
You’ll find Mount Melleray Abbey’s own website here.
Walk at Mount Melleray Abbey
If you like walking then you’ll find an absolutely gorgeous walk at the back of the Monastery (follow the signs from behind the museum through the farmyard that say ‘To Cross”). The cross to which it refers is the Holy Year Memorial Cross, erected in 1950. The walk is 5 to 7Km depending on how you walk it. There is a slight incline most of the way but it is manageable for pretty much anyone. It is track all the way so runners are fine unless it has been raining heavily.
It is not a looped walk so you’ll have to come back the way you went up although, as you’ll see from the View Ranger map, you can extend the walk with a loop near the end. We don’t have our own track on this one yet, but hope to do so soon. In the interim you’ll find it here on ViewRanger should you wish to download it to you phone. We’ve not walked the route from this download so we can’t vouch for its accuracy, but it will give you an idea of the route in any case.
Location
You will find Mount Melleray at the following Loc8 Code – YWN-92-YC9. If you don’t have the ability to read Loc8 Codes (many SatNav’s can do so) you can use the following map:
Hello from USA We will be visiting Cappoquin on Friday 29th of July. My Grandfather Walter Regan was from that small town and his niece Phila Regan, my great aunt. My wife would like to pay respects to Phila’s final resting place. Do you have a record of a Phila Regan? Any information about her final resting place would be appreciated.
Hello from USA We will be visiting Cappoquin on Friday 29th of July. My Grandfather Walter Regan was from that small town and his niece Phila Regan, my great aunt. My wife would like to pay respects to Phila’s final resting place. Do you have a record of a Phila Regan? Any information about her final resting place would be appreciated.