A magnificently restored 1830s neo-classical estate on Drumcliff Bay beneath Benbulben, Lissadell was the childhood home of revolutionary Countess Markievicz and her suffragist sister Eva Gore-Booth, and was immortalised in the poetry of W.B. Yeats.
A 45-55 minute guided tour (11am, 12 noon, 1.30, 2.30, 3.30 and 4.30pm) takes you through the rooms restored to their 1890s state: the great Gallery Yeats described as "high as a church", the south-facing Bow and Drawing Rooms, Dining Room, Billiard Room, and the basement kitchen, servants' hall and wine cellar. Tours do not go upstairs to the private family rooms.
This 2.5-acre restored kitchen garden (built 1840) is a rose lovers' highlight, with dozens of named varieties including Peace, Gertrude Jekyll, Darcy Bussell and Claire Austin, plus heritage fruit trees and fragrant herbaceous borders. It is still evolving as a working garden.
The dramatic 2-acre seashore rockery garden, created in the 1740s and restored to Josslyn Gore-Booth's 1890s design, sits by the Atlantic with views across Drumcliff Bay to Knocknarea. Woodland and coastal trails meander through 416 acres of grounds planted with thousands of native Irish oaks.
An acre close to the house commemorates Leonard Cohen's two historic 2010 concerts on the estate, centred on a Canadian Maple tree and a plaque.
Five self-guided galleries in the Coach House complex cover Countess Markievicz and the 1916 Rising, women's suffrage, the Celtic Revival, and the artistic legacy of the Yeats family, including paintings by Jack B. Yeats.
The on-site Lissadell Tea Rooms open during the season, serving homemade fare such as quiches, scones and salads using produce from the estate's gardens, alongside a small gift shop.
Load the interactive map to explore this place location.
