Lissadell House is a neo-classical Greek revivalist style country house, located in County Sligo, Ireland.
The house was built in the 1830s for Sir Robert Gore-Booth, 4th Baronet MP by London architect Francis Goodwin. In 1876, Sir Robert left the house and surrounding estate to his son, Sir Henry Gore-Booth, 5th Baronet.
Contents |
History [edit]
The house was the childhood home of Irish revolutionary, Constance Gore-Booth, her sister the poet and suffragist, Eva Gore-Booth, and their siblings, Mabel Gore-Booth, Mordaunt Gore-Booth and Josslyn Gore-Booth. It was also the sometime holiday retreat of the world-renowned poet, William Butler Yeats. He made the house famous with the opening lines of his poem:
"In Memory of Eva Gore-Booth and Con Markiewicz"
The light of evening, Lissadell,
Great windows open to the south,
Two girls in silk kimonos, both
Beautiful, one a gazelle. [1]
Sale and access dispute [edit]
 |
The neutrality of this article is disputed. (August 2012) |
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2012) |
In 2003, the house was put up for sale by the then owner, Sir Josslyn Gore-Booth (a grand-nephew of the original Josslyn Gore-Booth), for €3 million. Despite celebrities including U2 lead singer Bono, broadcaster Gerry Ryan and politician Mary O'Rourke showing an interest in the property,[citation needed] it was hoped that it would be purchased by the state.[citation needed] However, due to several stumbling blocks including Dáil (government) holidays and an inaccurate cost report, the house was eventually sold to a private couple, Edward Walsh and Constance Cassidy. Over the course of seven years, the new owners, independent of any monetary assistance from the state, restored the house and gardens and continued public access to the house, while limiting public rights of way. The owners appeared on numerous occasions in the media including on the Late Late Show, where they were widely praised.[2]
On a motion put by Councillor Joe Leonard, in December 2008 Sligo County Council voted to preserve public rights of way that it contended existed on the estate. This was after the owners blocked access not only to the grounds but also to the popular beach bordering the grounds, which would have effectively been privatized. The owners refused all attempts at conciliation before the legal route was taken. The house's closure was announced on 8 January 2009 due to this dispute with Sligo County Council.[3] The owners instituted legal proceedings against the Council to have it declared that there are no dedicated public rights of way over the estate.[4] The owners have indicated that they would not be re-opening Lissadell if the council won the court action.[5] The 58-day-long hearings ended in June 2010, with legal costs for both sides estimated at €6 million.[6]
On 20 December 2010, the High Court ruled in favour of the Council and public rights of way must now be reopened. During the case, testimony was given by staff formerly working for the Gore-Booth family that the right of way was recognized and supported by the former owners. Sligo County Council stated that "this issue could and should have been resolved locally by negotiation". This is the second occasion that the state has damaged Lissadell. In the 1950s and 1960s, officials of the State thrashed[7] the woodlands by clearing the forestry and not replanting any trees. It could also be argued[by whom?] however that the current owners are damaging the estate by being belligerent over the public interest entitlement in Lissadell as the courts have found.
While public right of way is technically allowed the single lane road is very deeply cratered and tightly bound by high fences with many notices relating to private property erected along the way. It is quite difficult for those outside the area to find the entry points as no signs visible from the road are displayed.
Concerts [edit]
- Westlife - Where We Are Tour: 30 July 2010
- Leonard Cohen - Leonard Cohen Tour 2008–2010: 31 July; 1 August 2010
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ Yeats, William Butler (2000, originally in "The Winding Stair and other poems", 1933). The collected poems of W. B. Yeats. p. 197. ISBN 1-85326-454-7.
- ^ Irish Times article, Jan 2010
- ^ Owners to close Lissadell House estate. RTÉ News Report - 8 January 2009
- ^ Legal proceedings over Lissadell House, RTÉ News Report - 14 January 2009
- ^ "Sligo mayor urges talks to end Lissadell House dispute". The Irish Times. 7 July 2009.
- ^ Irish Independent online, 19 June 2010
- ^ [author missing] (2010 [last update]). "Lissadell House and Gardens Sligo". lissadellhouse.com. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
External links [edit]
From soilse
From clifskif
From Eire Sarah
From infomatique
From Rowan of...
Here you can share your comments or contribute with more information, content, resources or links about this topic.