The Chapter Room is one of the most important room in any monastery, after the monastic church. It serves as an important meeting place for the religious community for councils or the election of new leaders, for discussing spiritual matters, assigning daily duties, and important business of the monastic community.
The Benedictine community of the Monastery of the Immaculate Conception at Kylemore Abbey opened their new monastery in August 2024 and, in June 2026, were delighted to receive the handcrafted ecclesiastical furniture for their Chapter Room, in line with its age-old purpose.
Thanks to the support of generous donors, Galway craftsman and furniture maker Brian Murray was commissioned to create a unique set of ecclesiastical furniture for the Chapter Room.
These furnishings consist of a specially designed lectern for formal presentations and lectures; two tables and four chairs for meetings of the monastic council; a cabinet for the safe storage and display of the abbatial crozier; and a credenza to store significant monastic objects and rare artifacts from the Benedictine community’s heritage, including historic chalices, pewter plate and artworks from their original monastery at Ypres, Belgium (1665-1914).
The wood used in the Chapter Room furniture was Sapele and Burr Maple, with inlay detailing from storm-felled Elm from the Kylemore Abbey estate. Storm-felled trees from Kylemore Abbey are frequently shared with Atlantic Technological University Connemara, Letterfrack, County Galway, Ireland, for use by students enrolled in programs offered by the National Centre for Excellence in Furniture Design & Technology.
Renowned for his design skill and fine workmanship, and trained at Atlantic Technological University Connemara, Brian Murray’s work may be seen in national institutions and international corporate boardrooms.
