Lismore Things to Do

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Lismore, like other Irish towns, has a number of attractive 19th century (and sometimes earlier) buildings. Some may be rather anonymous, others are shop frontages which have escaped the 'development' and 'improvement' that too many of their British counterparts have undergone. A photograph of The Square / Main Street from the early years of the 20th century looks much like a modern photograph with the 1846 Lismore Arms Hotel standing out. Substantially older is Greehy's, further down the street, dating from around 1790. As well as shops, there are also small houses such as those in New Street (in the opposite direction) which, although somewhat altered since, were built for workers on the Lismore Castle Estate around 1825. Although the Castle is the main building of interest in Lismore, there are definitely less grand buildings in the town itself which merit a stroll around. For similar buildings, see VT under nearby 'Cappoquin' where there are details of the source of some of this information.

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Lismore Castle is not open to the general public but it's worth a detour to see it anyway as its setting overlooking the Blackwater River is magnificent and the castle is obviously well kept as it's still home to the Duke of Devonshire. The castle has been the Duke of Devonshire's family home since 1753, the 6th Duke of Devonshire (1790-1858), was responsible for an extensive restoration of the Castle.

Before the Dukes took over, there has been a castle on this site since 1185 when Prince John, later King John, built here, the original castle was also a Bishop's Palace, was owned for a time by Sir Walter Raleigh and was sacked by Cromwell's men like it seems every other castle in Ireland was. That Cromwell was certainly a busy guy, too bad he wasn't inclined to do philanthropic acts rather than pillaging and plundering...

You can stay at the castle or have your wedding reception there, provided the Duke and his family are not in residence, but I venture that the cost is rather exorbitant as the website does not mention it. You can also visit the Castle Gardens but as there was an 8€ charge to do this, we declined having already seen the beautiful gardens at Johnstown Castle and knowing that we'd be heading to Garnish Island later in the week to see the gardens at Ilnacullin.

If you find yourself in Lismore and don't have the time or inclination to visit the Castle Gardens or Lismore Castle Art, then at the very least take the walk down to the castle gatehouse. This is directly en-route to the gardens and is only two minutes from the Millenium Park or Lady Louisa's Walk.
This will give you at least a flavour of the castle and you won't have spent either time or money on getting some cool photos. Approaching the gatehouse I always feel I am approaching a small French Chateau.It has that lovely otherworldly feeling.

Sometimes in Lismore, it can be a little difficult to wrench yourself back into the present, so for my penultimate Thing-to Do I'd like to move back into the 21st century. The Millennium Park is brand new, opened in May 2002 by President McAleece. It's in the very heart of the town, just oppposite the Heritage centre, but with views on two sides of rolling countryside. As a people's park it has wonderful amenities: bandstand, fountains, water features, unusual sculptures, plenty of seats, green spaces etc. But in keeping with the ethos of the town, this park has some unusual features also.The history of the town is recalled by an enormous totemic like wooden sculpture; the ice house reminds us of our ancient techniques of keeping fish fresh; the obelisk makes us stop, pause and reflect. This is a wonderful place to sit a while and admire your surroundings, maybe even have a little impromptu picnic.

Lismore's heritage centre is a good one and situated as it is, smack bang in the centre of town, it's impossible to miss. In fact this would be entirely the correct place to start off your visit to Lismore, if it's your first time. The centre has several galleries where you can see exhibits such as the ancient Book of Lismore or the Lismore Crozier. Touristy ? Yes, I suppose so, but their audiovisual presentation is excellent and will send you back outside raring to go and tread these historical streets. The heritage centre is also the tourist office so a visit here will give you all the practical info you need on where to eat, sleep, what to see, do etc.

OPENING HOURS: Year Round: MON-FRI 9.30 am- 5.30pm.

MAY-OCTOBER:
SAT: 10.am-5.30pm
SUN: 12noon-5.30pm.

When you leave the cathedral, immediately to your right is Deanery Hill. Walk down this hill and at the end you will see signposts to 'Lady Louisa's Walk'. This walk, supposedly following in the footsteps of Lady Louisa, will bring you through picture pretty locations out onto the main road overlooked by the castle. The views here are stunning and you will make the obligatory photo-stop to admire the castle above and the river below.

The Chancel is my favourite part of the cathedral interior. It is kept locked apart from services and maybe the fact that I've never actually been inside, increases the magic. Standing outside, peering through an ornately carved oak screen, what you see is truly magical. Inevitably, the large east window catches your eye first, flooding the interior with light, through its plain glass. The ceiling is elaborately decorated with green beams and coloured rosettes on a white background. I've seen this type of decoration befor but I think it was much further North in Europe.
At the entrance to the cathedral you can buy a 'Self-Guided Tour' for only EUR 2. This booklet, compiled by Sarah Dungan will tell you every possible architectural and historical detail about this cathedral that you could ever wish to know. Buy it. It will definitely enhance your visit.

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Yes, Lismore has a cathedral. Not the vast, imposing type, more the intimate and unbelievably pretty type. Come and see for yourselves.
The first wonderful thing about Lismore Cathedral is the setting. Maybe you remember the country church in the movie '4 Weddings and a Funeral. Well every time I stroll up the cobbled path leading to Lismore Cathedral, I expect the entire cast of that movie to come bursting through the door.The pretty churchyard, bowering lime trees, the ancient doorway - country cathedrals don't come any more charming than this. Even if you don't go inside, a walk round the grounds will keep you enthralled for at least an hour. Wander back through this town's ancient history by deciphering inscriptions on weathered gravestones. Pause under one of the spreading trees and compose your very own 'elegy in a country churchyard'. From the rear there are stunning views over the countryside and to the front lies The mall, Lismore's impressively wide, tree-lined avenue leading directly to the cathedral gates.