Tintern Abbey, Wexford

William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, was caught in a storm crossing to Ireland around 1200 and vowed to found an abbey wherever he landed safely; he landed at Bannow Bay and founded Tintern, colonised from Tintern in Wales, which is why it is sometimes called Tintern de Voto - Tintern of the vow. After the dissolution it was granted to the Colclough family, who converted the church into a dwelling, and their descendants lived in it until 1959, when Lucy Marie Biddulph Colclough left. That long occupation means the ruin is a hybrid: medieval nave and tower with domestic floors, fireplaces and windows inserted into them. The state has conserved it since. The grounds include a battlemented bridge, a walled garden restored to its early nineteenth-century layout, and woodland walks along the estuary. Opening is seasonal.

What you actually see

• The hybrid ruin - a medieval abbey converted into a family house.
• The tower and nave - the substantial surviving medieval fabric.
• The walled garden - restored to its early nineteenth-century plan.
• The estuary walks - woodland paths and the battlemented bridge.

When to go

April to September; the site closes for winter. The walled garden is best from June. Two hours covers the abbey, garden and a short walk.

Honest expectations

Seasonal opening only. The interior is a conserved shell rather than furnished rooms. The walled garden is a walk from the abbey. Ticketed.

Nearby

Hook Lighthouse is south on the peninsula; Dunbrody Abbey and New Ross are north.