Lismore (Lios Mór) Overview

Lismore’s grand castle and cathedral remind visitors that this charming little town was once a thriving monastic center. Seated at the banks of the Blackwater River, the stunning Lismore Castle supports a booming tourist business; the town is also worth a visit for its beautiful walks and proximity to the hiking trails of Co. Tipperary’s Knockmealdown Mountains. All this history and beauty makes Lismore a great travel destination, so it’s no wonder the Immrama Festival of Travel Writing is held here in early June. As a distinguished travel guide reader (considering the object currently in your hands), it is definitely worth checking out (contact the Heritage Center for details).

Transportation And Practical Information. Bus Éireann stops across from the tourist office and runs to Cork (1hr.; M, Th, Sa 9:35am, F 9:50am, Su 6:20pm except July and Aug.; €9.30), Dublin (M-Sa 6:55am, 3:09pm, also Th 3:24pm, F 5:40pm, Su 3:45pm) and Waterford via Dungarvan (1hr.; M-Sa 6:55am, also Th 3:24 and 6:25pm, F 5:40pm, Sa 6:25pm; €10.20). The Vee road represents a spectacular scenic route to reach Lismore from Clogheen; its many roadside “viewpoints” are popular for a reason. Hitchers wishing to get to Cork ride east to Fermoy, then south on N8. Hitching to Dungarvan is also common, but not recommended by Let’s Go. The well-staffed and extremely helpful Heritage Centre occupies the old courthouse. (☎54975. Open year-round M-F 9:30am-5:30pm; May-Oct. also Sa 10am-5:30pm, Su noon-5:30pm.) Free Internet access is available at the library on Main St. (Open M, W, F 11:30am-1pm and 2-6pm; Tu and Th 1-4:30pm and 5:30-8pm.) The post office is on E. Main St. (☎54220. Open M-F 9am-1pm and 2-5:30pm, Sa 9am-1pm.)

Accommodations. Accommodations in Lismore are sparse and can dent the budget traveler’s wallet, but inviting B&Bs can be found on either side of the town. From the tourist office, take a right at the statue and head up Main St. out of town to reach Beechcroft 3, whose impeccably manicured front lawn, hardwood floors, and luxurious bedding feel simply indulgent. (☎54273. Singles €40; doubles €60. Family rooms available.) Right in the heart of town, The Castle Lodge 3 offers bright, large rooms above its eponymous pub and restaurant. (☎53077. Rooms €35 per person.) On the other side of town, left from the tourist office and left at the fork in the road, Pine Tree House 3 has an expansive front yard and comfortable rooms. (☎53282; www.pinetreehouselismore.com. €35 per person. Discount for longer-term stays.)

Food And Pubs. Lismore’s Farmer’s Market, Lismore Castle Ave., is quite popular. (Su 11am-3pm.) Centra, E. Main St., sells groceries. (☎54122. Open M-F 8:30am-8pm, Sa 8:30am-8:30pm, Su 10am-6pm.)  Eamonn’s Place 3, E. Main St., is a pub with a lot to be proud of: a gorgeous waterfall in its beer garden, tasty homemade, seasonal meals featuring fish snagged straight from the Blackwater, and fantastic desserts. With so much going for it, its no wonder its great craic is what people talk about most. (☎54025. Lunch from €7; served M-F 12:30-2:30pm. Dinner €10-17; served M-Sa 6-9pm during the summer.) Il Castello 1, across from the Castle Lodge, has satisfying staple takeaway items, such as burgers (€2-4), chicken (€4), and cheap kebabs. (Open daily 5:15-11pm.) Tiny Movenpick 1, off Main St., obliges the sweet tooth with ice cream flavors like tiramisu. (1 scoop €1.75. Open daily noon-5pm.)

Sights. Gorgeous Lismore Castle looms over the Blackwater River, swathed in foliage and aristocratic grandeur. The building has served as a medieval fort, Sir Walter Raleigh’s residence, and the birthplace of the 17th-century father of modern chemistry, Robert Boyle (of PV=nRT fame). Remodeled with great imagination in the 19th century, the castle is now privately owned by the English Duke of Devonshire, whose apartment can be leased by the ambitious—and very rich—for €25,000 per week (yeah, that’s a 5). The fabled Lismore Crozier and the Book of Lismore, two priceless artifacts thought to have been lost forever, were found hidden in the castle walls in 1814; the crozier can be seen at Dublin’s National Museum. Visitors can tour the lush gardens, walking in the legendary footsteps of The Faerie Queen poet Edmund Spenser. (☎54424; www.lismorecastle.com. Open mid-Apr. to Sept. daily 1:45-4:45pm. Garden tours €7, under 16 €3.50.) The castle’s bridge is also the starting point for the peaceful, tree-lined Lady Louisa’s Walk, which clings to the banks of the Blackwater.

The castle was once connected by an underground passage, long since closed off, to St. Carthagh’s Cathedral, on Deanery Hill. A number of tombs in the cathedral’s ancient graveyard are sealed with heavy stone slabs, relics of Lismore’s past as a hot spot for body-snatching. The cathedral did a better job of retaining historical markers—a collection of 9th- and 10th-century engraved commemorative stones are set into one of its walls. The Heritage Centre, in the town square, has a 30min. video presentation of Lismore’s past and a cursory exhibit highlighting the 1000-year-old Book of Lismore, with a replica of the original, which is privately owned and not accessible to the public. A new science room is dedicated to the life and works of Robert Boyle. (€4.50, seniors and students €4.) The center also runs guided tours of town during the summer (June-Aug.; €3) and sells self-guided tour booklets (€3). A few kilometers from Lismore is a car park for the locally beloved Towerswalk, a casual amble through the woods and greenery of the countryside. From the castle, cross the bridge and turn left; after 4.8km, Towerswalk is on the right. A local landlord named Keily-Ussher, reviled for his cruelty to starving tenant farmers during the Great Irish Famine of the 1840s, began constructing the tower and entrance gate to what was to be a castle; today, all that remains at the end of the woodsy 1hr. walk are ruins known as “The Grand Folly.”

Lismore is also conveniently close to the myriad hiking trails of the Knockmealdown Mountains and the East Munster Way (see Outdoor Activities).