Early History
The castle site was originally occupied by Lismore Abbey, an important monastery and seat of learning established in the early 7th century. It was still an ecclesiastical centre when Henry II, King of England stayed here in 1171, and except for a brief period after 1185 when his son King John of England built a 'castellum' here, it served as the episcopal residence of the local bishop. In 1589, Lismore was leased and later acquired by Sir Walter Raleigh. Sir Walter sold the property during his imprisonment for High Treason in 1602 to another famous adventurer, Richard Boyle, later 1st Earl of Cork.
Read more about this topic: Lismore Castle
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