lismore castle gardens

History is built layer upon layer at Lismore which means 'great fort' in Irish. Prince John built the original castle there in 1185. The Bishops of Lismore Built an episcopal palace on its ruins and the estate was granted for a time to Walter Raleigh for a rent of IR12 p.a. He sold the property to Richard Boyle, later 1st Earl of Cork, who rebuilt the castle, parts of which are incorporated in the present castle built in the mid-19th century by the 6th Duke of Devonshire. The 1st Earl of Cork also built the thick defensive walls in 1626 which still surround the upper garden. The lower garden provides woodland shelter for a fine collection of shrubs including magnolias and camellias. The two gardens are delightfully linked by the staircase to the Riding House built in 1631. Dreamlike in its dramatic setting, the garden also has an ancient yew walk and is one of several placed linked with Spenser's poem of the "Faerie Queene". Lisomore is the Irish home of the Duke of Devonshire.

Located in the town of Lismore.