Murrisk Abbey

To me, ruined abbeys
And ancient castles
Are stone climbing frames
Of broken spiral steps
Leading to war-torn rooms
Or locked, rusting gates.

Murrisk Abbey is a tangle of grey stone on the seashore at the foot of ‘The Reek’ mountain, County Mayo. I clambered on its ruined walls, climbed corbelled towers and picnicked on the grass. Those who fasted, fed and prayed there never thought that the fonts would be filled with rainwater and swallows would fly through the roofless nave.