Corcomroe Abbey
Corcomroe Abbey (Irish: Mainistir Chorca Mrua) is an early 13th-century Cistercian monastery located in the north of the Burren region of County Clare, Ireland, a few miles east of the village of Ballyvaughan in the Barony of Burren. It was once known as "St. Mary of the Fertile Rock", a reference to the Burren's fertile soil. The Gothic ruins feature stone carvings that are considered to be among the finest in a Cistercian church in Ireland. The abbey appears in W.B. Yeats' play The Dreaming of Bones. They constitute a National Monument and are open to the public. Geography Location The ruins are located around 800 metres east of the village of Bellharbour in Glennamannagh, a valley of the Burren. The closest large village is Ballyvaughan, a few miles further west. The L1014 road passes close by the abbey. About a kilometer from the abbey are the ruined churches of Oughtmama. Although no stream was present at the site, several wells are located in the townland where the abbey stands, which probably provided water to the monastic foundation. History A band of Cistercian monks came to the area from the abbey at Inislounaght in County Tipperary in the late 12th