The name Keenaghan means ‘The Mossy Place’.

During the reign of the Vikings in Fermanagh, they captured a cleric from Armagh named Maolcabha. On their departure in about 1200, the Vikings released him at Belleek where he went to Keenaghan Lake and founded a hermitage which was discovered by the locals who then joined him in religious services. The original hermitage was made of wood construction, so no trace remains.

Around 1178, Cistercians from Boyle founded the Abbey at Ballyshannon. The territory under their control extended from as far as Co. Tyrone near Irvinestown. They also held the salmon and eel fishing rights on the Erne. To service this property they founded small Abbey’s at Teetunney, Keenaghan and Slawin on the south shore of the Erne. At certain times of the year Monks from Keenaghan would go to Slawin to assist there and the route they took was known as the ‘Deans Path’. The river could be forded at Druminillar in fine weather.

Following the Plantation of Ulster in the early 1600’s, Cromwell’s forces destroyed all four Abbeys. The east wall of Keenaghan with its unique ‘Candle Window’ survived the destruction.

For generations, locals from both Catholic and Protestant areas were buried in Keenaghan and Teetunney. A flat tombstone in the memory of Isabelle McLaughlin who died 1817 aged 37. The stone was erected by her sons, whose names were later chiselled off who were adopted by a Protestant family. At work, the lads were told that they were not Protestant but Catholic and the proof was on their mother’s headstone, so they cut the names off. Monks who died in the Abbey were buried inside the Church walls. During penal years, a traveling priest Fr. Greene who died in the area was buried secretly at night in Keenaghan.

In 1966 local man Thomas O’Loughlin whose parents are buried in the graveyard, organised a group of young local men who cleaned up the graveyard which had become overgrown with briars and shrubbery. Local lady Marie Neil surveyed the site and recorded all eligible names on headstones, the oldest being Thos. Smith who died January 16th 1717 age 35.

In 1991, Patricia Brooks and her husband Norman from New Zealand were in Ireland. Patricia had some vague details of her Keenan family and searched several graveyards; on the advice of local man Joe O’Loughlin, they went to Keenaghan and discovered the headstone of Patricia’s ancestors.

In 2007, local man Joe Magee contacted the Environment and Heritage Service for N. Ireland. Ms Clare Foley, Sen. Archaeological Inspector surveyed the ruins and was so impressed by the Candle Window that she authorised the preservation of the walls. A considerable amount of funding was granted for the restoration work. Joe Magee, Marie Neil, and Joe O’Loughlin carried out considerable work in the graveyard, including putting damage headstones back on bases. With the approval of Mary Gallagher, the land owner, a new entrance was constructed on the Ballagee Road to gain access to the Abbey.

Further inforamtion can be found in the book Keenaghan Abbey and St. Michael’s Church’ written by Joe O’Loughlin.  Much of the information was supplied by the late Patrick J. Slevin, Ballagee known as ‘Wee Packy’.

Contributor Joe O’Loughlin BEM