Graiguenamanagh

 

Graiguenamanagh (Irish: Gráig na Manach, meaning "hamlet of the monks") is a town in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located on the R705 regional road by the border with County Carlow on the River Barrow at the foot of Brandon Hill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The scenic location of Graiguenamanagh makes it an enchanting place for visitors and locals alike. Walking and hillclimbing are among the more popular pursuits of  the Graiguenamanagh area. The Blackstairs Mountains and Brandon Hill provide a majestic backdrop for the town and great stomping ground for the many hillwalkers that visit the region. The River Barrow flows right through the town and is a great amenity for boating, swimming and fishing. The town is home to a rowing club and two popular sporting clubs, the G.A.A and a soccer club.

 

Graiguenamangh is home to the Duiske Abbey, Duiske is the heart of the town and was in its day the largest and most grand of all the 24 cistercian monasteries in Ireland. The abbey takes its name from the little river Duiske (Blackwater) which joins the Barrow in Graiguenamangh, it was founded by William Marshall in 1204 and was suppressed by Henry VIII in 1536. Significant remains of the monastery exist to the rear of the houses that line the east side of Lower Main Street. The abbey's large "Early English" gothic church, was restored in the 1970s and in its northern aisle a model shows the monastery as it was in the fourteenth century.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The town holds a number of festivals and events each year with the Graiguenamanagh Regatta and River Festival in August and the Graiguenamanagh 'Town of Books' Festival in September being the most popular. For one weekend in September Graiguenamanagh is transformed literally into a ‘Town of Books’.