Lismore

Introducing Lismore

County Waterford’s ‘heritage town’, a quiet place on the River Blackwater overshadowed by an elegant 19th-century castle, is, quite rightly, steeped in its own history. Over the centuries, statesmen and luminaries have streamed through Lismore, the location of a great monastic university founded by St Cartach, or Carthage, in the 7th century. King Alfred of Wessex attended the university; Henry II visited the papal legate Bishop Christian O’Conairche here in 1171; even Fred Astaire dropped by when his sister Adele married into the Cavendish family, which owns the castle. Older locals can’t agree whether or not Astaire tap-danced down Main St after closing time.

Lismore once had over 20 churches, but 9th- and 10th-century Viking raids decimated the town. Most of its existing buildings date from the early 19th century. Between doses of history, you can picnic in the Millennium Gardens, beside the castle car park, or take a 20-minute riverside stroll along Lady Lou­isa’s Walk to the cathedral with its Edward Burne-Jones window.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009