Boyle Abbey
Boyle Abbey () is a ruined Cistercian friary located in Boyle, County Roscommon, Ireland. It was founded by Saint Malachy in the 12th century. History In the 12th century, Saint Malachy became aware of two new monastic orders in France, the Cistercians and the Augustinians, and he decided to introduce both orders to Ireland in an effort to reform the old Irish church which he felt had fallen out of line with much of the rest of Christian Europe. The first Cistercian Abbey was founded at Mellifont, County Louth in 1142. St Malachy made arrangements that young aspirant Irish men who want to become Cistercians should be trained in St Bernard’s own monastery of Clairvaux or one of its daughter houses. The Cistercians were invited to found an abbey in Moylurg as a daughter house of Mellifont. In 1148 Peter O’Mordha and twelve companions were sent to Connaught.<Annals of Boyle><1148> They tried Grellachdinach, Buniffi and Drumcunny before settling at Boyle. The monks being vegetarian required an amount of arable land adjacent to a monastery as well as the facility to be able to channel running water to the establishment. They were offered the Celtic monastery called Eas Mic NEirc or