According to 1 , the Cistercian abbey of Knockmoy (in the village of Abbeyknockmoy) was founded by the King of Connacht (Cathal Crovdearg O Connor, who was buried there in 1244) in the years 1189-1190. As I mentioned earlier, it was St. Stephen's Day evening when I visited the site, so the light was fast fading (and it was a wet miserable day anyway). Knockmoy is rare in that it has a fresco still (barely) visible on the wall of the chancel. The monastery was plundered in 1200 (by William De Burgo) and in 1228, and the Abbot was censured in 1240 for having his hair washed by a woman (the dirty sod). In 1483, the abbot was accused of setting fire to the abbey, and in 1542, the abbot (Hugh O'Kelly) acknowledged Henry VIII. Knockmoy is also the 'mother' abbey of a Cistercian Abbey, St. Brigid's, on Clare Island that also has a number of frescos.
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| Front view | Information plaque | Chapel | Chancel roof | Chancel |
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| Fresco | Tomb niche | Plaque | Sculpture detail | Cloister |
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| Cloister | Side view |