Baltinglass Cistercian Abbey

Baltinglass Abbey was founded by the King of Leinster, Dermot MacMurrough, in 1148. It was the daughter house of Mellifont Abbey (founded in 1142), and the mother house to Jerpoint Abbey (founded in 1180). It is hidden among a valley within the Wicklow Mountains.

Fragments of the 12^th century Romanesque church and traces of the Cloister are all that remain of the original monastery. The nave is aisled with alternate square and cylindrical piers, the bases and capitals of which are decorated with a range of unusual designs. The Tower was erected in the later Middle Ages and replaced by a narrow neo-Gothic one during the 19^th century.

It is said that its original name Belach Conglais, which means the pass of Cú Glas, is connected to the mythological hero Glass, who was believed to have been killed by wild magical boars.

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This national monument is protected in accordance with the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014