SNIPPET: Co. Louth/Boyne Valley area north of Dublin -- Mellifont, the first Cistercian abbey in Ireland (Diocese of Armagh) was established by French monks who came to Ireland in 1142 to bring the Irish monks more in line with Rome. This essentially European foundation was part of the wider 12th-century reform of the Irish church which led to the eventual demise of traditional Irish monasticism. In its first years the community was composed of a mixture of French and Irish monks trained at the mother house of Clairvaux. In its layout and planning the unusual architecture of the abbey demonstrated considerable French influence. Cistercians lived isolated, rural lives; lay monks worked the land, allowing the more educated monks to devote all their energy to prayer. After Henry VIII dissolved the abbey in 1539, centuries of locals used it as a handy quarry. Consequently, little survives beyond the octagonal lavabo, where the monks would ceremonially wash their hands before entering the refectory to eat. Even so, the lavabo does gives one a sense of the grandeur that once was. The lavabo (c. 1210), the chapter house (c. 1220), and the late medieval gate house remain partly intact; the form of the other buildings can been seen from foundations revealed during excavation. Visitor Centre contains exhibitions of the work of masons in the middle ages with excellent examples of their craft on display. Excellent tours available upon request, May-Oct daily, no tours Nov-April where site is free to explore on your own.