Ardpatrick is in the foothills of the Ballyhoura mountains, about 10 km south of Kilmallock on R512, the road to Kildorrery.
The name Ardpatrick is from the Irish 'Ard Phádraig' meaning the Height or Hill of Patrick and the ruins on top of the hill of Ardpatrick are said to be those of a monastery founded by St Patrick himself. But many historians do not believe that St. Patrick travelled this far south.
During the eleventh and twelfth centuries Ardpatrick monastery was at its peak, and was considered the second most important eccleastical centre in Ireland. The ruins on top of Ardpatrick hill are of a church which date from these times. Outside the walls of the churchyard, the stump of a tower can be seen. It was originally a round tower and later converted to a bell tower. Most of it was knocked by a storm in 1824.
On the 17th of March and on the 15th of August there is a pilgrimage to the hill. Mass is held on the hilltop on the last Sunday in August.
The slug of St Patrick's Cow's Horn, Leaba Rian Bó Phádraig, is an ancient entrenched roadway near the church. Locals claim that the stones at the entrance to the hill of Ardpatrick are the remains of what was once a road from Armagh to Ardpatrick. The Abbot of Armagh used this road to travel to Ardpatrick to collect his dues.