See history come alive before your eyes
FUN
LISMORE HERITAGE CENTRE
There’s no better place to learn about Lismore than our Heritage Centre, with experiences that will give you the full tour of our town. Our 360° experience are the only way to catch a glimpse inside this beautiful castle. It’s a private residence and the Cavendish family are often at home. We’ll tell you the story of the Book of Lismore and the Bishop’s Crozier that were hidden in the walls of the castle for almost two centuries.
HERITAGE
LISMORE CASTLE AND TOWN
Founded by monks, visited by kings, attacked by Vikings and marched through by Normans and Cromwell, Lismore has an immensely colourful history you’re sure to want to linger over. A center of monastic education for centuries, Lismore was established by St Carthage in 636 and his monastery flourished, with Irish High Kings learning from great saints and scholars.
Built by King John in 1185 to guard the river, Lismore Castle was lived in by Sir Walter Raleigh, He then sold it to the Earl of Cork, whose family lost the castle twice, the second time through marriage to the Cavendish family, who, as the Dukes of Devonshire rebuilt it into the gothic marvel it is today.
THINGS TO DO
Virtual Reality Experience, Guided Town Tours, Escape Room, Events Venue, Shop Bursting With Local Produce, STEM Education Workshops and more. Is there anything we don’t do?
EXPERIENCES
Explore Lismore on a guided tour, free yourself from the Robert Boyle Escape Room, or virtually visit Lismore Castle with our Castle Experience. Our tours can be provided daily and our Castle Experience is hosted hourly. Come join us and see where you find yourself, whether inside Lismore Castle, or walking the roads of our beautiful town, learning of our colourful history.
EDUCATION
We’re incredibly proud to work in the birth place of Robert Boyle, father of modern chemistry, and we want to share our passion for science with you! Lismore’s Mobile Scientists come to your school with 20 years of experience of delivering interactive, engaging workshops. We do primary and secondary workshops in astronomy, chemistry, forensics, engineering, and Antarctic exploration for Junior Infants and all the way up to the Senior Cycle.
EVENTS
The Heritage Centre is not only home to the Robert Boyle Escape Room, the Lismore Castle VR experience, it also hosts a wide variety of community groups. As well as that, we are available to hire for wedding civil ceremonies, corporate events, photoshoots and product or book launches.
There’s always a community event on in Lismore Heritage Centre, with local groups using our beautiful space for Irish Dancing, Fóroige groups, weekend STEM camps, yoga, meditation and holiday events. Community groups use it as a base and it’s one of the main venues for the many festivals that take place in Lismore during the year.
THE LISMORE CASTLE EXPERIENCE
Feel immersed in the history of the castle as characters from centuries before tell you their stories. Visit the beautiful halls, the chapel that was turned into a dining room, luxurious bedrooms and the ballroom where the Astaires danced all night. Our exclusive VR experience gives you a real taste of the lives lived here by generations of Earls and Dukes.
LET US INSPIRE YOU
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“This project is supported by the Department of Rural and Community Development and Pobal through the Community Services Programme”