Few buildings capture the beauty of Connemara quite like Kylemore Abbey. Sitting beneath a wooded mountainside and reflected in the waters of Pollacappul Lake, the Abbey has become one of the most recognisable sights along Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way. But there's much more to Kylemore than getting that famous photograph. Spread across a magnificent 1,000-acre estate, a visit can include the restored rooms of the Abbey, the Victorian Walled Garden, woodland and lakeside walks, a beautiful neo-Gothic church, the mausoleum of Mitchell and Margaret Henry, cafés, a craft shop and some wonderful views across the surrounding Connemara landscape.

The story begins not with an abbey, but with a Victorian love story. Mitchell Henry was a wealthy doctor, businessman and politician who visited Connemara with his wife, Margaret Vaughan Henry. The couple fell in love with the landscape around Kylemore. Mitchell eventually purchased the estate and set about creating an extraordinary home here for Margaret and their growing family. Margaret laid the foundation stone in September 1867, and the spectacular building we now know as Kylemore Abbey began life as Kylemore Castle — designed by Irish architect James Franklin Fuller with engineer Ussher Roberts. It contained 33 bedrooms, four bathrooms, four sitting rooms, a ballroom, library, billiard room, study, schoolroom, smoking room and gun room, alongside extensive accommodation for servants.

Tragedy struck in 1874 when the family travelled to Egypt. Margaret became seriously ill with dysentery and died just over two weeks later at the age of only 45. Mitchell was devastated. Her body was brought all the way back to her beloved Kylemore and laid to rest in a small mausoleum hidden amongst the trees on the estate. Mitchell's response to his wife's death created another of Kylemore's most beautiful buildings — the neo-Gothic Church, begun in 1877 and completed in 1881, often described as a Cathedral in Miniature. Instead of gargoyles, it features delicate carvings of flowers, birds and angels, and inside are marble pillars representing different regions of Ireland — green Connemara marble, black Kilkenny marble, red Cork marble and white marble from Tyrone.

In 1920, a community of Benedictine nuns arrived at Kylemore. They had previously lived at Ypres in Belgium, but their abbey was destroyed during the First World War. After spending time in England and County Wexford, they eventually found a permanent home at Kylemore. Kylemore Castle became Kylemore Abbey. The Benedictine community established an internationally known girls' boarding school here, which remained an important part of life at Kylemore until it finally closed in 2010. Today Kylemore remains home to a Benedictine community — so although it's one of Ireland's busiest visitor attractions, you're also visiting a living place of spirituality and religious life.

One of the biggest mistakes you can make at Kylemore is visiting the Abbey and leaving without seeing the Victorian Walled Garden. Located around 1.6km from the Abbey, the garden covers approximately six acres and is divided by a mountain stream, with formal gardens on one side and working kitchen gardens on the other. You'll also find restored Victorian glasshouses and the old Head Gardener's House. You can walk there through the estate or use the complimentary shuttle bus included with admission. Surrounded by Connemara's mountains, it's a spectacular setting and easily worth the journey from the main Abbey.