Clontuskert Abbey
Five kilometres south of Ballinasloe, above the Ballinure River, a ruined priory keeps one of the finest carved doorways in the county. St Michael stands at its top with sword and scales, weighing souls; Augustine treads a serpent, Catherine of Alexandria and John the Baptist flank him, a pelican feeds her young, two griffins face each other and a mermaid holds her mirror, as another does at Clonfert.
Checked against the source on 2026-09-19.
JohnArmagh, public domain via Wikimedia Commons
Clontuskert Abbey, Garbally College on the 3D model; tap a pin for its page and directions.
Boedan and the O'Kellys
The first monastery here was founded around 800 by St Boedan in the O'Kelly kingdom of Uí Maine, though local tradition places it at the ringfort in Chapelpark rather than on this spot, and it should not be confused with Cloontuskert near Lanesborough. The O'Kellys founded the Priory of St Mary for the Arroasian canons regular about 1180. What stands is a nave and chancel with a rood screen, transepts, cloister, chapter room, sacristy, cellars, an oven and a vaulted room in the south-east corner; it is a national monument.
In books
The abbey appears in Mary Pat Kelly's novel Galway Bay of 2011 and in Lina Callejón's Ien Seu: El Camino. Kilconnell friary, the other great ruin of the district, lies west of the town. The model on this page pins Ballinasloe's church and college; the Clonfert Cathedral guide shows the mermaid's twin.
Questions people ask
Where is Clontuskert Abbey?
Who founded Clontuskert Abbey?
What is carved on the Clontuskert doorway?
Written from Wikipedia, "Clontuskert Abbey" (CC BY-SA 4.0), read on 2026-09-19, and from the OpenStreetMap places on the model. Nothing has been added from memory; follow the source for its footnotes.