Page 237 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Ireland

NOR THWEST IRELAND  235

o Lissadell House
Road map B2. Carney, Co Sligo.
Tel 071 916 3150. £ or @ to Sligo.
Open late Mar–end Oct: 10am–6pm.
8∑ lissadellhouse.com
A Greek Revival mansion built in
the 1830s, Lissadell is famous
more for its occupants than
its architecture. It used to be the
home of the Gore­Booths who,
unlike some of the Anglo­Irish
gentry, have contributed much
to the region over the four
centuries they have been in
County Sligo. During the
Famine (see p223), Sir Robert
charitably mortgaged the house
to help feed his employees.
The most famous member
of the Gore­Booth family is Sir
Robert’s granddaughter,
Constance Markievicz (1868–
1927), a leading nationalist who
Lissadell House dining room with Gore-Booth family portraits took part in the 1916 Rising
(see pp48–9). She was the first
fascinating collection includes and the winding banks of the woman to be elected to the
displays of Stone Age flints, Irish Erne”. He lies buried in the British House of Commons and
musical instruments and other graveyard of St Anne’s Church, later became Minister for
local artifacts. off Main Street. There is a Labour in the first Dáil. W B
Rossnowlagh never fails to fine view over the river Yeats, who first visited the
make the news in July, when it from here: you can see house in 1894, immortalized
hosts the only parade to take the small island of Inis Constance and her sister, Eva,
place in the Republic by the Saimer where, according in one of his poems,
Protestant organization, the to legend, Greeks describing them as “Two
Orange Order (see p53). founded the first girls in silk kimonos, both
colony in Ireland beautiful, one a gazelle”.
E Donegal Historical after the Great Flood. Built in grey limestone, the
Society Museum Beyond, you can exterior of Lissadell House
Tel 071 985 1726. Open daily. glimpse a large is rather austere. The
Irish Army base: interior, on the other
Ballyshannon’s hand, has an appeal ing
i Ballyshannon position on a atmosphere of faded
steeply rising bluff Mural of the family dog in grandeur, with
Road map C2. Co Donegal. * 2,600.
@ from Bundoran & Donegal. overlooking the Lissadell’s dining room copious memorabilia
River Erne has always of the building’s
In Ballyshannon, well­kept made the town a former occupants. The
Georgian homes jostle for strategic military site. finest rooms are the gallery
space along hilly streets on the About 1.5 km (1 mile) north­ and the dining room, decorated
banks of the River Erne, near west of town lie the scant ruins with extraordinary full­length
where it flows into Donegal of Assaroe Abbey, founded by murals of the Gore­Booth family,
Bay. This is a bustling town, full Cistercians in 1184. A graveyard their famous butler Thomas
of character and off the main with some ancient burial slabs Kilgallon, the gamekeeper,
tourist track – though it gets and head stones is all that head woodman and a dog.
packed during July’s festival remains. Nearby, two water The house is now a private
of traditional music, which is wheels installed by the monks family home and is open to the
one of the best of its kind in have been restored. The Water public only for guided tours
the country. Wheels has a small heritage during certain months of the
The festival apart, Bally­ centre as well as a café. year. Check the website for the
shannon is most famous as latest details. You can also
the birthplace of poet William E The Water Wheels explore the paths skirting the
Allingham (1824–89), who Assaroe Abbey. Tel 071 985 1580. seashore, and the beach itself is
recalled his home town in the Open Easter–end Oct: Sun only. a lovely spot, with spectac ular
lines “Adieu to Ballyshanny - = 7 views across the bay.

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