Description
This day trip is part of the 4 day exploration of the Boyne Valley which is this year’s annual outing of the Society. Each day is priced at €20. A special price of €15 per day is available if you book on line and if you book all four days a discount will be applied at the checkout which reduces the cost to €50 per person. These reduced prices are only available to members who book through the web site.
Members should arrange to share cars for this trip and those who can offer lifts should indicate this by giving their name, number of places and a contact phone no when booking (in the Order Notes box). The details will be circulated to other booked members.
From Wikipedia:
Bective Abbey (Irish: Mainistir Bheigthí)[2] is a Cistercian abbey on the River Boyne in Bective, County Meath, Ireland.
The abbey was founded in 1147,[3] and the remaining (well-preserved) structure and ruins primarily date to the 15th century.[4] The site, including a nearby car park, were purchased by the state in 2012.
The abbey was founded in 1147 by Murchad O’Maeil-Sheachlainn, as a ‘daughter house’ of Mellifont Abbey.[3] The abbey and its estate lands were confiscated during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 1530s, before being rented to Thomas Asgarde, and later purchased by Andrew Wyse in 1552.[
Little is known of the history of Beaubec. Janauschek states, “some Irish authors argue that a Cistercian abbey existed in this area of eastern Meath, which was founded by Walter de Lacy, Lord of Meath, first as a daughter of Bell-Bec (in Normandy), and later became a cell of Furness. But those who have looked at the documents, understand that the manor of that abbey was there as long as the Normans”.[3] [citation needed]
Geraldine Stout,[4] citing Dryburgh and Smith (2006), states that there is no known foundation date for this monastic site but a grant by Walter De Lacy to the church of SS Mary and Laurence of Beaubec and the monks residing there on the lands in Gillekeran has been dated to after 1215.[5]
Excavations of the site were carried out between 2019 and 2020 by our guides, Geraldine and Matthew Stout.
