Town of Abbeylara
Near the village of Abbeylara 4km south-west of Granard and close to the shore of Lough Kinale you will see the remains of a 13th century Cistercian abbey founded by an Anglo-Norman, Richard Tuite. Edward Bruce captured Granard and plundered this abbey. People believe that the semicircular earthwork north of the village is the site of the original church founded by Saint Patrick about 460. Parts of the ancient defensive earthwork known as the black Pig’s Dyke extends from the shore of Lough Kinale, north-east of Abbeylara to the north-westward direction towards the shore of Lough Gowna. Remains of two stone circles are still preserved in the parish of Abbeylara. There are also the surviving traces of what seem to be megalithic burials. There is no doubt about the antiquity of these stone circles which are import archaelogical remains of the Bronze Age period of human history. They stand as witnesses to those who recognised the sun as the centre of the universe, the source of all life.