According to the Ballintubber website and other popular accounts, John O'Mullowny of Ballyhean, an infamous local priest hunter, is buried in the cemetery.

The abbey marks the beginning of Tochar Phádraig, the ancient pilgrimage route to Croagh Patrick, reopened by Pilgrim Paths of Ireland.

Ballintubber Abbey was built in 1216 in the Hiberno Romanesque style, characterized by the chevron archivolts and foliate capitals of the three light-transitional windows to the east.

There are three renovation attempts to note: the first in 1846 led by Archbishop John MacHale, the second in 1881 overseen by George Coppinger Ashlin, finally, the third restoration in 1909 with Reverend Thomas A. Egan and Percy le Clerc leading the project.

[4] The Cromwellian assault in 1653 destroyed the monastic buildings, dormitories, cloisters, and domestic quarters; all of the timber structures inside the abbey were also taken down.

With the support of wealthy benefactors, the walls were reinforced, the openings between the transepts were glazed, and the east window of "stained glass of medieval pattern procured from Mayer & Co. of Munich" was installed.

The third restoration took place from 1909 to 1979, supervised by the Reverend Thomas A. Egan and Percy le Clerc, the Inspector of National Monuments at the time.