Location: Lismore, County Waterford Map
Lismore Castle is situated in Lismore, County Waterford in
Ireland. Lismore Castle stands on the ruins of a former Roman
Catholic Monastery that stood here since 7th century. The castle
belonged to the Counts of Desmond, and since 1753 the Dukes of
Devon. In the XIX century, the castle was rebuilt in the
Neo-Gothic style by William Cavendish - VI Duke of Devonshire.
Lismore Castle was built in 1185 by Prince John - the future
king of England, John Landless. Before that, there was a
monastery of the Lismore Abbey on this site, which was founded
in the 7th century. The monastery was a famous religious,
educational and scientific center of Ireland. In 1171, the
Anglo-Norman conquest of Ireland took place, the monastery was
confiscated by the King of England Henry II, who decided to
build a castle here - the stronghold of the British government.
The castle for some time continued to be the residence of the
local bishop, but in fact was the property of Count Desmond. The
estates of the Counts of Desmond were significantly reduced
after the assassination of Gerald Fitzgerald - XV Earl of
Desmond in 1583. As a result of these events, the English
colonization of its lands began.
In 1589 the castle was leased, and then became the property of
Sir Walter Raleigh. In 1602, Walter Raleigh was jailed and
charged with “high treason”. He was forced to sell the Lismore
Castle to the adventurer Richard Boyle - and the Earl of Cork.