Image of Lismore Castle and Bridge
Lismore Castle and Bridge
Image courtesy of Waterford County LibraryImage of Lismore Castle and Bridge
Image courtesy of Waterford County Library
Image courtesy of Waterford County Library
Image of Lismore Castle and Bridge
Lismore Castle and Bridge
Image courtesy of Waterford County LibraryThere has been a castle at Lismore, Co. Waterford ever since 1185 when Prince John built one on the present site. When John became King of England he handed the Castle over to the Church and it was used as a Bishop's Palace until 1589.
In 1589 the Castle was leased and later bought outright by Sir Walter Raleigh. In 1602, when Raleigh was imprisoned in the Tower of London for high treason, he sold Lismore along with 42,000 acres for £1,500 to Richard Boyle, who later became the first Earl of Cork. Richard Boyle's youngest son, Robert Boyle, the philosopher and father of modern chemistry, was born at Lismore in 1626.
Lismore Castle
A black and white photo of Lismore Castle in County Waterford
Image courtesy of Waterford County LibraryLismore Castle
Image courtesy of Waterford County Library
Image courtesy of Waterford County Library
Lismore Castle
A black and white photo of Lismore Castle in County Waterford
Image courtesy of Waterford County LibrarySince 1752, Lismore Castle has been the home to the Dukes of Devonshire. It has a lovely view of the Blackwater Valley and beyond that the Knockmealdown Mountains.
The gardens at Lismore Castle are divided into two completely different halves. The older one, which is called the Upper Garden, was designed by Richard Boyle in 1605, while the Lower Garden was made for the 6th Duke of Devonshire in the 19th century.