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22 Oct 2025
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22 Oct 2025
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Carol service in the ancient and historical Duiske Abbey will be a truly special way to enter into the Christmas spirit
Graignamanagh will have a special Christmas Carol service in Duiske Abbey, on Wednesday 21st December at 7p where all are welcome.
The service will feature the Duiske Abbey Choir in the beautiful and historical Abbey which originated in the 13th century as the church of a Cistercian monastery, but today it is a Catholic parish church. The abbey’s simple exterior contrasts with its elaborate interior, where visitors can see the ancient stone and high clerestory windows of the nave as well as an effigy of a 13th-century knight at the entrance.
Duiske Abbey was founded in 1204 by William Marshall the elder, earl of Pembroke, and was colonized with monks from Stanley in Wiltshire. The monks may not have arrived at Graignamanagh until 1207, but it seems that building may have begun in 1204 when the cemetery at Duiske was consecrated. In 1228 the religious community was fixed at thirty-six monks and fifty lay-brothers which were almost as large as Mellifont Abbey. The abbot of Duiske sat as a peer in parliament at that time.
The Abbey was suppressed under Henry VIII in 1536 and the last abbot, Charles O'Cavanagh, resigned his title. Monks continued to occupy it but it began to fall into ruin. Following the dissolution, the lands were awarded to James Butler of Duiske. The abbey church continued to be used as a local place of worship. The Church of Ireland re-roofed the west end after the tower collapsed into the nave in 1744. The church was returned to the Roman Catholic community in 1812 and restoration was completed in the 1980s. Currently, it is used as a parish church and music events are held there.
The carol service promises to be an atmospheric event that will launch the Christmas celebrations in Graignamanagh in a truly unique place.
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