We found Sligo Abbey to be fascinating, but challenging to photograph. A ruin dating to the 13th century in the northwest Irish city of Sligo, it was full of interesting scenes and details. We could frame any of them with little trouble. But it was hard to create a sense of the whole in our lenses. You can’t back up enough to get it all in frame, as Sligo encroaches upon it from all sides. So here’s hoping that as I just dump a bunch of photos of the place here, you’ll get a feel for it all.
Despite being called an abbey (a community of monks or nuns living a cloistered life), this was actually a friary (a community of men who go out and preach), of the Dominican order. The Dominicans have always loved to go out and preach.
I did take a panoramic shot with my iPhone. It’s as close as I came to capturing Sligo Abbey’s scale, obvious distortion in the image notwithstanding. This is the cloister garth at the center of the abbey. This yard (and some of the corridors and rooms) were used as a cemetery, I think at some point after the site became a ruin.
The place just begged to be shot in black and white, but I did get a few solid color shots.
Nikon N2000, 35mm f/2.8 AI Nikkor, Kodak T-Max 400
iPhone 6s
Canon PowerShot S95
Last updated on 15 March 2020 by Jim Grey
Oh wow; it’s beautiful! It’s surprising the beauty and history hiding around every bend in
Ireland!
Seriously! Everywhere you go, there’s something wonderful like this to see.
Fascinating! It looks like a place you get lost in your thoughts.. so much history..
The gloomy weather only enhanced that effect!
Fascinating stuff! That this place was built within 40 years of the founding of the Dominican Order (1216) shows how quickly they grew and spread.
It appears that the Dominicans still maintain a community in Sligo.
Those determined Dominicans! :-)
Incredible, beautiful and awe inspiring. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks! We think stuff from the 1800s is old in the US, but in Ireland stuff that old is just getting broken in.