School: Killeigh
- Location:
- Killeigh, Co. Offaly
- Teacher: T. Mac Amhalghaidh
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0804, Page 050
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- Killeigh Monastery.
Killeigh is the site of an ancient monastery the ruins of which are still to be seen. It was built in the fourth or fifth century. It was occupied by the Franciscan Order of monks. It was at this monastery that Lady Margaret O Connor and her husband held the last meetig of the Irish Bards in the year 1433. During the time of Cromwell the Killeigh monastery was destroyed by him and his soldiers who murdered most of the monks. They took the money the found and burned books. There is a story that some of the monks escaped through a secret tunnel which ran from the monastery to Gurteen Bridge. The secret tunnel was seen open about seventy years ago. The monks went in singe file through the tunnel and when the first monk was a mile from the monastery he remembered a book he had forgotten to bring with him. So he sent back word along the line and the last monk who was leaving the monastery then got the book and brought it with him. Some of the walls(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Sarah Dunne
- Gender
- Female
- Informant
- Michael Dunne
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Ballinvally, Co. Offaly
