Mellifont Abbey

Situated in a tranquil valley on the banks of the River Mattock, a tributary of the Boyne and just 20 minutes from Slane village, the abbey derives its name from the latin Font Mellismeaning ‘founain of honey’. Founded in 1142 by St Malachi, this was the first Cistercian monastery in Ireland. It became one of the wealthiest abbeys in Ireland with vast holdings of land. Although the remains at the site are now fragmentary, Mellifont is historically and architecturally significant – it was the first European-style cloistral abbey to be founded in Ireland.

For more information:

www.heritageireland.ie/en/midlandseastcoast/OldMellifontAbbey/