Lismore Castle has been on its present site since 1185 when Prince John built a “castellum”

Lismore Castle is perhaps the most spectacular castle in Ireland and has been the Irish home of the Duke of Devonshire since 1753. There has been a castle at Lismore since 1185 when Prince John built a "castellum" on the present site. The earliest remaining part of the castle, dating back to the 13th century, is a round tower.

After John ascended the English throne he handed Lismore Castle over to the church and it was used as Bishops Palace until 1589.

Sir Walter Raleigh brought the castle in 1589 and when he was imprisoned in The Tower of London in 1602, sold Lismore and 42,000 acres of land to Richard Boyle who later became the first Earl of Cork, for the princely sum of £1,500 pounds.

During the Cromwellian wars, Lismore Castle and the surrounding town was sacked by Catholic confederates lead by Lord Castlehaven in 1645.

In 1753, the Castle and its lands passed to the fourth Duke of Devonshire following his marriage in 1748 to Lady Charlotte Boyle, the only surviving daughter and heiress of the fourth Earl of Cork (1695-1753). The sixth Duke (1790-1858), known as the bachelor Duke, undertook the most extensive restoration of the Castle.

Some restoration work was carried out between 1612 and 1694 by the Second Earl of Cork, with minor repairs until 1800. Much of the present castle dates from around the time of the First Earl of Cork.

Over the centuries many prominent people and Kings have been guests at Lismore, these included James II in 1690 after the Battle of Boyne, Charles Dickens, William Makepeace Thackery, John F. Kennedy and Fred Astaire who was regularly seen visiting after Adele Astaire, Fred Astaire's sister, married Lord Charles Cavendish who lived in the Castle between 1932 and 1944.

Tourist Information

Admission is €5.00 for adults €2.50 for Children under sixteen years of age.

For groups of over twenty, the charge reduces to €4.50 and €2.25 respectively.