Poor Clare nuns ‘on a high’ over Downton Abbey

BEING contemplative doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the craic and even a contemplative has to go Christmas crackers once a year.

And, while austerity is nothing new to the enclosed order of Poor Clare nuns in Ennis, sacred vow doesn’t have to mean solemn.

“It must be the Ecstasy tablets,” jokes Abbess Sr Gabriel to explain the fun and joy the 11 nuns share behind closed doors, particularly on Christmas Day.