The original castle, built around 1590 by the Gore family, was a fortified tower house typical of the Anglo-Irish gentry of the period. This defensive structure served as both residence and fortress during the turbulent years following the Elizabethan conquest of Ireland, when local chieftains and new English settlers vied for control of the region’s rich agricultural lands.

The Gore-Booth family, who acquired the estate in the early 17th century, transformed Lissadill from a military outpost into one of Ireland’s most notable country estates. In the 1830s, Sir Robert Gore-Booth demolished the old castle and commissioned the Greek Revival mansion that stands today; a testament to the family’s wealth from their extensive landholdings. The estate became a cultural hub in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, hosting literary figures including W.B. Yeats, who immortalised the Gore-Booth sisters, Eva and Constance, in his poetry. Constance would later become Countess Markievicz, a revolutionary who fought in the 1916 Easter Rising and became the first woman elected to the British Parliament.

Today, visitors can explore both the restored mansion and the remains of the original castle foundations, which lie just northwest of the main house. The juxtaposition of medieval ruins and neoclassical architecture tells the story of Ireland’s evolution; from clan warfare and colonial plantation to the birth of Irish nationalism. The estate’s walled gardens, ancient woodlands, and coastal setting along the Wild Atlantic Way provide a dramatic backdrop for understanding how geography, politics, and culture intersected at this remarkable Sligo site.