The Abbey of the Black Hag, County Limerick
Ghost/Paranormal
Thursday 27th, January 2022
In a secluded valley in county Limerick there is a convent/abbey which was once home to the prioress, a lady of the Fitzgerald family of Shanid castle. It's been said that the lady, prioress indulged in the black arts as well as many different dark sexual practices.
The prioress died at this convent in an area known as the "Black Hag's Cell". The name the ‘Black Nun' is said to come from the simple fact that with lack of daylight, malnutrition and living around ashes from fires the nun would have been covered in black soot and have a gaunt, skeletal look. The prioress's ghost is said to haunt the area since her passing.
Locally the name isn't called "The Black Nun's Abbey", it's known as Monasternagalliaghduff which is taken from the Irish "Mainistir na gCailleach Dubh", or "The Black Nun's Abbey".
The monastery is believed to have been named after Katherine de O' Conyl. The monastery is thought to be from the 13th century based on Vatican documents but may be older than this.
The monastery was founded following the donation by John FitzThomas of Connello, a donation of land which would be used to house the monastery, the monastery was said to be a house of God up until the ‘Dissolution of Monasteries' and over time has been left to fall apart.
The Earl of Desmond was involved in a bloody feud with the Butler family in the 15th century, "Eternal God, there are two in Munster that destroy both us and our property, to wit the Earls of Ormond and Desmond, together with their bands of followers, whom in the end may the Lord destroy, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.".
This led to the Earl of Fitzgerland taking his wife and trying to get to safety, as he pulled his wife up into his horse an arrow is said to have caught his wife's thigh and broke the bone. He rode into the night with his wife getting worse and worse so looked for sanctuary at St. Katherine's Abbey.
As his wife seemed dead he proceeded to bury her beneath the altar and continued on to safety. Time passed and the order of nuns who lived at the abbey began to hear bone chilling screams in the night.
The nuns needed to do something so they decided to re-bury the Countess in the hope of bringing her peace but to the horror of the nuns, once they opened her grave they discovered the corpse of the Countess had broken finger bones and nails torn out of her fingers, it would turn out that the Countess was buried alive.
This is one of the stories attached to the abbey and it's said that the Countess is unable to find peace and roams the abbey waiting for her husband to return.
Now the origins of the ‘Black Nun' are said to originate from a nun at the abbey who wasn't content in her servitude to God, she wanted more.
The nun was said to have her own cell in which she worshipped Satan and performed black magic. The other nuns of the abbey were said to be horrified about their sister's acts and the rest of the nuns fled the abbey leaving the Satan worshipping nun alone at the abbey.
The ‘Black Nun' is said to have gone into the local community and perform depraved sex acts and to offer sacrifices. Some of these stories have supposedly been partly substantiated with the discovery of children's bones.
The prioress died at this convent in an area known as the "Black Hag's Cell". The name the ‘Black Nun' is said to come from the simple fact that with lack of daylight, malnutrition and living around ashes from fires the nun would have been covered in black soot and have a gaunt, skeletal look. The prioress's ghost is said to haunt the area since her passing.
Locally the name isn't called "The Black Nun's Abbey", it's known as Monasternagalliaghduff which is taken from the Irish "Mainistir na gCailleach Dubh", or "The Black Nun's Abbey".
The monastery is believed to have been named after Katherine de O' Conyl. The monastery is thought to be from the 13th century based on Vatican documents but may be older than this.
The monastery was founded following the donation by John FitzThomas of Connello, a donation of land which would be used to house the monastery, the monastery was said to be a house of God up until the ‘Dissolution of Monasteries' and over time has been left to fall apart.
The Earl of Desmond was involved in a bloody feud with the Butler family in the 15th century, "Eternal God, there are two in Munster that destroy both us and our property, to wit the Earls of Ormond and Desmond, together with their bands of followers, whom in the end may the Lord destroy, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.".
This led to the Earl of Fitzgerland taking his wife and trying to get to safety, as he pulled his wife up into his horse an arrow is said to have caught his wife's thigh and broke the bone. He rode into the night with his wife getting worse and worse so looked for sanctuary at St. Katherine's Abbey.
As his wife seemed dead he proceeded to bury her beneath the altar and continued on to safety. Time passed and the order of nuns who lived at the abbey began to hear bone chilling screams in the night.
The nuns needed to do something so they decided to re-bury the Countess in the hope of bringing her peace but to the horror of the nuns, once they opened her grave they discovered the corpse of the Countess had broken finger bones and nails torn out of her fingers, it would turn out that the Countess was buried alive.
This is one of the stories attached to the abbey and it's said that the Countess is unable to find peace and roams the abbey waiting for her husband to return.
Now the origins of the ‘Black Nun' are said to originate from a nun at the abbey who wasn't content in her servitude to God, she wanted more.
The nun was said to have her own cell in which she worshipped Satan and performed black magic. The other nuns of the abbey were said to be horrified about their sister's acts and the rest of the nuns fled the abbey leaving the Satan worshipping nun alone at the abbey.
The ‘Black Nun' is said to have gone into the local community and perform depraved sex acts and to offer sacrifices. Some of these stories have supposedly been partly substantiated with the discovery of children's bones.
