Series on life with the nuns of Kylemore Abbey screening today

EPISODE one of The Hills Are Alive: A Year at Kylemore Abbey, a new RTÉ observational documentary series following the lives of a community of Benedictine nuns and their lay staff, screens today (Sunday) at 6.30 p.m. on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.

Kylemore Abbey, a lakeside Gothic castle, set amidst the beautiful landscape in Connemara, was once the family home of a wealthy Victorian MP, but, for the last hundred years, has been a Benedictine Abbey. Now, facing rising bills and falling vocations, the nuns embrace tourism, commerce and ecology, alongside their religious life, in their efforts to secure the future of Kylemore and their community.

In three hour-long episodes, the RTÉ series offers viewers a unique behind-the-scenes insights into the life of Kylemore Abbey and its estate over the course of a year.

Narrated by Megan Cusack (Call The Midwife), the documentary shows how the nuns have transformed the once crumbling castle and its neglected estate into a magnet for tourists from all over the world.

Cameras follow the nuns and their dedicated team of lay staff as they manage the estate and engage in new enterprises from soap- and chocolate-making. Their ingenuity has ensured that Kylemore is not only a sustainable religious community, but supports dozens of jobs, year-round.

While other Irish religious orders are generally managing decline and closing their buildings, Kylemore has just opened a new monastery and retreat centre, which will be a home for the nuns for decades to come.