Deep in the stunning Irish countryside, Peter Farrugia found the rhythms of daily monastic worship can bring tranquillity to believers and non-believers alike.

Malta’s connection with Melleray Abbey began a couple of years ago when the University Chaplaincy invited two monks to the island. The abbot gave a talk, followed by a brief question-and-answer session, introducing many of us to the Cistercian lifestyle.

The monks seemed a lot sturdier, a lot more present, than many of the grey and ghostly spectres you find rushing around offices

Sometimes called the White Monks, the Cistercians are a Catholic religious order of enclosed monks who emphasise prayer and self-sufficiency in their daily practices.

The Trappists (an order many of us will know from the writings of Thomas Merton) came about as a later reform of the Cistercians, living the contemplative lifestyle even more strictly. It’s these ‘Cistercians of the Strict Observance’ that a group of students, lecturers and friends were invited to visit.

Our adventure began the moment we arrived in Ireland, travelling out of Dublin to Thurles, and then up the stunning Knockmealdown Mountains to the monastery in County Waterford.

The itinerary was structured throughout the day by the monks’ recitation of the Divine Office – set hours for singing psalms and prayers that begin with Vigils at 4 a.m. and end with Compline at 8 p.m.

Five other offices are interspersed throughout the day. The interesting thing about the Gregorian-style chant practised by the monks is that no matter how unskilled the voice, it achieves a stately beauty of its own with every singer contributing something to the service.

Walking past the abbey through little twisting lanes coveredwith moss was a charmingexperience.

Mellerey Abbey was the first monastery founded in Ireland after the Reformation, built in 1833 on 700 acres of donated mountain land.

Construction on the Neo-Gothic structure continued into the 1920s, using limestone blocks originally intended for nearby Mitchelstown Castle.

With the help of local villagers, the area has since been transformed into a fertile and scenic landscape of fields, woodlands and outhouses.

Most recently, the monastery’s new residence wing (built to the highest standards of eco-sustainability) was featured by the 2011 World Architecture Festival.

There are tangles of trees at irregular levels that make certain parts of the landscape feel like a maze, side-by-side with broad open pastures spotted with sheep.

The guesthouse itself was comfortable and had excellent views, on one side into the monastery courtyard and on the other across the summerhouse. Guests have access to free wifi and meals are served punctually to a high standard.

Many visitors who spend time at Melleray aren’t necessarily looking for spiritual guidance. The area’s natural beauty means that some guests simply enjoy long walks in Ireland’s countryside, admiring the streams and woods.

Which isn’t to say there aren’t ample resources for visitors on retreat. There is a life-sized crucifixion scene set high on the mountainside, popular with visiting pilgrims.

There have also been reports of Marian phenomena in the monastery grotto, although with no official position one way or the other, the monks are reticent (in fact no mention of it was made on our visit) to publicise this.

Melleray Abbey’s monks follow the example of the first Cistercians when they refer to their communities as “schools of love”.

Tracing a long line of monastic discipline from the earliest Egyptian and Syrian ascetics, the modern lives of the monks follow a Biblical call to “pray always” and imitate the example of Christ. It’s thanks to this heritage, and the subsequent codifications handed down by St Benedict that the lives of the monkskeep a dignified rhythm withwork, worship and rest playingcomplementary roles. It was fascinating to see the way they live such an ancient lifestyle in an isolated location.

Their vocation to worship God in everything doesn’t sit well with modern sensibilities – their exclusion from the amenities and luxuries that make our frenetic lives more tolerable.

They haven’t slowed the clock so much as stopped it, not by hankering after the past but by entering into a mode of life beyond the drudgery we take for granted.

By observing the hours and working to make every moment a prayer and each act (no matter how small) a labour of love, the monks have opened a crack in time to something more fundamental and lasting.

That isn’t to say they’re not normal people. The monks we met throughout our stay seemed a lot sturdier, a lot more present, than many of the grey and ghostly spectres you find rushing around offices, or aimlessly wandering through crowded streets with eyes glued to window displays.

The joy that the monks express through their daily activities is a lesson in peace for believers and non-believers alike. It speaks of a life lived in constant awareness, calmly and with profound respect for others.

Each monk we met performed his duties with a friendliness and openness that wasn’t just endearing – I left with the sense that, of all the Church’s contributions, this dynamic rhythm of worship enacted day in day out, across the world, with voices lifted in song, supplies its own meaning.

It remains a shame that no contemplative community for monks exists in Malta. Perhaps that will eventually change, and visitors (and people with a sympathetic vocation) will be able to experience this kind of community here.

Till then, anybody in need of some tranquillity would do well to visit Mount Melleray and exchange life’s turbulence for a short while in Ireland’s beautiful countryside, and experience the Cistercians’ world-famous hospitality.

To enquire about the guest house, e-mail guestmaster@mountmellerayabbey.org.