Graiguenamanagh
Graiguenamanagh or Graignamanagh () is a village on the River Barrow in County Kilkenny, Ireland. Part of the settlement, known as Tinnahinch, is on the County Carlow side of the river, and Carlow County Council refers to the whole village as "Graiguenamanagh-Tinnahinch". It is at the foot of Brandon Hill and is home to Duiske Abbey, the largest of the thirty-four mediaeval Cistercian abbeys in Ireland. Public transport. The village is located on the R705 regional road. Kilbride Coaches operate a route linking it to Kilkenny via Gowran. History. The River Barrow, historically a significant highway, was developed  as a commercial navigation in the mid-18th century and Graiguenamanagh served as a base for commercial barges operating on the river until barge traffic ceased in 1959. The barges that at one time lined the quaysides are now replaced by pleasure craft. Nearby are the ruined remains of the early Christian church of Ullard, founded by Saint Fiachra in the seventh century. St Fiachra subsequently moved to France, where he is known as St Fiacre, and founded the celebrated monastery at Meaux. He is the patron saint of gardeners and taxi drivers; French cabs are often known as fiacres in  his honour. Some few miles downstream from Graiguenamanagh the ruins of the ancient monastic establishment at St. Mullins are situated in an area of great beauty and historic interest. Recreation. Walking, cycling the Barrow towpath, and watersports are among the more popular activities in the Graiguenamanagh area and the South Leinster Way runs across the Barrow Valley and nearby Brandon Hill. The Barrow's aquatic facilities include fishing, swimming, kayaking, and canoeing. Graigue, as the village is popularly known, is home to a rowing club, a canoe club, an athletics club, the GAA (hurling and Gaelic football), and a soccer  club, Highview Athletic. Graiguenamanagh a series of statues of monks, 12 of them depicting the various activities carried out by the original Cistercian monks of Duiske Abbey. There is a public library in the center of town with a comprehensive local history section. The Graiguenamanagh Historical Society sponsors a series of talks and lectures at the library during the winter season. The Abbey Centre is beside the library, the home of a Christian Art Gallery and small museum. Genealogical research materials are available through the Graiguenamanagh Parish Birth and Marriage Registers. Duiske Abbey. The Duiske Abbey, which takes its name  from the little river Duiske (Blackwater) which joins the Barrow here, was founded by William Marshall in 1204 and was suppressed by Henry VIII in 1536. Significant remains of the monastery exist to the rear of the houses that line the east side of Lower Main Street. The abbey's large "Early English" gothic church, was restored in the 1970s and in its northern aisle, a model shows the monastery as it was in the fourteenth century.