Experience a transformative semester in Ireland at Mount Melleray Abbey in County Waterford. Live, study, and pray in a centuries-old Cistercian monastery, and encounter the rich cultural and spiritual heritage of Ireland and Europe.
Watch: Life at Mount Melleray Abbey
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Overview
The Ireland Study Abroad Program at our Mount Melleray campus offers students a fully integrated Ave Maria University experience rooted in Ireland's rich Catholic heritage. Designed as a semester-long experience, the program combines rigorous academics, intentional spiritual formation, and immersive cultural experiences—all while keeping students on track for graduation. Set within a historic Cistercian monastery, the campus invites students into a rhythm of study, prayer, and community life that is deeply formative.
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Life at AMU's Mount Melleray Abbey Campus
Life at AMU's Mount Melleray Abbey campus is intentionally simple—and surprisingly full. You'll live and learn in a place built for community: a campus where your dorm, classrooms, chapel, dining hall, library, and faculty and staff are all within the monastery grounds. Days carry a steady rhythm of prayer, coursework, meals, and time outdoors—giving you the structure to grow and the space to breathe.
Between classes, students gather in common areas, walk the grounds, explore the working farm, study in quiet corners of the abbey, and share meals together. And when the weekend comes? Ireland opens up—coastline, castles, trails, towns, and pilgrimage routes are all within reach.
Residential Community
Residential life in a close-knit community with on-site dorms, classrooms, and shared spaces.
Shared Meals
Meals on campus each day, with the whole community coming together around the table.
Campus Grounds
Green spaces, courtyards, and walking paths for downtime and recreation.
Integrated Formation
A built-in culture of formation—where spiritual, community, and academic life reinforce one another.
Sam Shephard
Professor of Biology
Ireland Study Abroad Program Coordinator
“This is a unique pathway to ground the faithful, rigorous and joyful Catholic liberal arts program of AMU in an ancient tradition of Cistercian prayer, work and study.”
Jesse Ray
Director of Student Programs
“Ave Maria University's campus in Ireland may be new to us, but it is rooted in a much older story. Students inherit a place shaped for centuries by monks and faithful Catholics.”
Daniel Schreck
Chief Strategy and Mission Advancement Officer
“We are called to form the intellect and direct the will, but only in broadening the imagination of our students can they truly discover God's abundant calling. This is why we venture to Ireland.”
Just Beyond the Abbey
The academic schedule is designed with three-day weekends, giving students the freedom to explore Ireland independently (at the student's expense). Whether that means a trip into a nearby town, a coastal hike with friends, or a train ride to a historic city, travel becomes part of the formation—turning Ireland into a living classroom.
And because Cork and Dublin airports are accessible, students also have the option to visit places across Europe.
- 1. Copper Coast UNESCO Global Geopark
- 2. Waterford Greenway
- 3. Coumshingaun Lake Loop Walk
- 4. Bunmahon Surf School
- 5. St. Declan's Way
- 6. Lismore Castle Gardens
- 7. Blackwater River
- 8. Traditional Irish shooting grounds
- 9. An Rinn (Ring, Waterford Gaeltacht)
- 10. The Rock of Cashel
- 11. Old Head Golf Links (Kinsale)
Copper Coast UNESCO Global Geopark
A stunning stretch of coastline with dramatic cliffs and hidden coves.
Photo Gallery
