Mount Melleray Abbey in Co Waterford, Ireland, closed its doors at the end of January – after nearly 200 years of service. It cannot have been an easy decision for the Cistercian order; the remaining monks are set to go to Roscrea, to join forces with their Trappist brethren there. 

I first went to Mount Melleray, in the foot of the Knockmealdown mountains, in 2005; I didn’t really get it at the time, but years later I visited again and I grew to love the place. On the surface, it appeared barren, but scratched, it had a magical quality. It was an oasis in the desert that life can sometimes be; a sanctuary for the bruised and battered, where pilgrims like me could find solace and peace. It was as if the devil was banished to the gates.