REGINA | 78
REGINA: You said Mass in two ruined abbeys.
FATHER MOORE: Those masses, along with the hike up Croagh Patrick, were definitely the highlights for me.
At Muckross Abbey near Killarney, the tourists all gathered around and were astounded by the beauty of the liturgy, even one celebrated with a Mass kit outside. It was profound.
REGINA: The Mass at Muckross Abbey has a special story.
FATHER MOORE: When we were coming back from Ross Castle, we had a horse-drawn cab driver who was smoking a cigarette and looked like a hardcore punk, but who turned out to be a great guy. He told us how his ancestor had been married under a yew tree in Muckross Abbey and was later tortured by Oliver Cromwell.
This led me to speculate: perhaps these ruins had been a meeting place for Catholics to worship in secret during times of persecution?