Mellifont Abbey, located close to the town of Drogheda in Co. Louth is the first Cistercian monastery in Ireland founded in 1142 by St Malachy of Armagh.

The abbey sits on the banks of the River Mattock, approx 10 km north-west of Drogheda. Little of the original Abbey now remains, although visitors can see one of its most unusual features; an octagonal lavabo c.1200. This lavabo was used by the monks to wash their hands before eating.

The Visitor Centre houses an interesting exhibition on the work of masons in the Middle Ages with fine examples of their craft on display. Access to site by stone stairway.