Kylemore Abbey profits are hit by investment
PROFITS dipped by around €100,000 last year at Kylemore Abbey, due to maintenance costs and investment in the tourist offering.
The Connemara abbey, a popular tourist attraction, is due to launch a new visitor experience on St Patrick’s Day.
There will be a new entrance to the abbey, more rooms open to the public and “general improvements in all public areas”.
Profits came in at €722,652 for 2017 – with most income coming from the 330,000 visitors who passed through the doors.
John Madden, spokesman for the Kylemore Trust of the Benedictine Nuns at the Abbey, said the profits would be re-invested in conservation and restoration works.
“This work on the Castle building is essential to ensure the long-term viability of Kylemore Abbey as the main source of income for the Benedictine community and its mission at one of Ireland’s leading tourist destinations,” he added.
The Benedictine community made Kylemore their home after abandoning their own Abbey in Ypres. a town in the west of Belgium, at the onset of World War I.
The castle at Kylemore was built in 1868, with the nuns making it their home in 1920.
It was originally built as a gesture of love for Margaret Henry, wife of Mitchell Henry, a Manchester eye surgeon and pathologist with Irish roots.
After inheriting his father’s business he used his wealth to buy the Kylemore estate.
The castle was built in 1868