Galway’s most popular tourist attraction smashed the half a million visitor mark last year – between casual visitors and paying customers – to record another year of impressive growth.

A total of 547,120 visited Kylemore Abbey in 2023, which was a growth of 28 per cent – or 120,000 visitors – over 2022.

And almost one-third of these were American, according to the figures. Of the 84 nationalities who visited, 30 per cent USA – the same percentage as France and Germany combined – while one in ten was Irish and five per cent came from the UK, Italy and Spain respectively.

Kylemore Abbey Chief Executive Officer Conor Coyne was delighted with the figures – and with the upward trend for this year as well.

“It’s clear that 2024 is also performing very well – ahead of 2023,” he said.

It has been a busy year for the iconic Connemara attraction, with the completion of the new Monastery and Retreat and Education Centre at Kylemore Abbey, which is home to 15 nuns. The convent also saw the election of new Abbess; Mother Karol O’Connell OSB is the twentieth Abbess of Kylemore Abbey and she has now begun her twelve-year term of office as leader of the monastic community.

Raised in Midleton, Co Cork, and educated by the Presentation Sisters, she studied music in the Liszt Academy, Hungary.

She has over forty years’ experience of teaching in the classroom. She gives regular courses for teachers on the Kodaly concept of music education and has written eight books on music literacy based on the Kodaly concept.

Sr. Karol entered the monastery in 1978 on the Feast of Saint Benedict, July 11. She has been community organist, choir mistress, cook, gardener and artist as well as holding the office of Prioress for 16 years.

Abbess Karol’s Abbatial Blessing will take place on November 5 in the Monastic Church of Kylemore Abbey.

This year also saw the opening of Fordham Law Great Hall – a magnificent exhibition and event space – and the unveiling of the new interactive Garden Experience.

“Kylemore Abbey is a not-for-profit organisation and all proceeds are utilised to fulfil the dual purposes of supporting the Benedictine Monastic Community, and preserving and sharing the beauty and heritage of the estate with visitors,” added Conor Coyne.

The Abbey’s continuing progression is good news for the local economy too; there are 152 people directly employed by Kylemore Abbey and – according to the Fitzpatrick Associates Economic Study – the facility is responsible for a further 1,500 jobs in the region.

Over 90 per cent of its suppliers from Ireland – and 28 per cent of them are from Galway alone – which is part of the reason it was voted Galway Chamber’s Overall Business of the Year in 2022.

Pictured: Kylemore Abbey…building on success.