The Parson's House

Interesting Fact: Cong was the location of John Wayne's movie The Quiet Man. At the top left of the page is "The Parson's House" from the movie, now a private residence. It was impossible to take a bad picture of this cottage.

Cong Abbey: The monastery of Cong (not pictured -- sorry), founded in the early 7th century, was destroyed by fire in the 12th century. Turlough O'Conner, the High King of Ireland, refounded the abbey around 1135 and his son Rory constructed new buildings. The community adopted the Augustinian rule several years later. Soon after (well, in historical terms anyway), in 1203, the Norman knight William de Burgo attacked the town and again the monastery had to be rebuilt. Most of the remains seen today belong to the rebuilding of the abbey in the thirteenth century, although the elaborate doorways might predate that. The sculpture in the abbey, which suggests links to western France, is some of the finest in Ireland.

Ashford Castle

Ashford Castle: Top page right -- It's really hard to take a bad picture when you have a Medieval tower as the backdrop for the shot!

Ashford Castle's Fisherman's Cottage: Monks built this cottage over the water then cut a hole in the floor so that they could enjoy the comfort of a fireplace while they fished. For convience, they tied a rope to their lines that lead led all the way up the hill to their monastery, so a bell would ring when they caught a fish.