Lissadell opening new attractions
REBELS, GUNS AND CHINA TEACUPS STAR IN THE HOUSE’S 2017 SEASON
LISSADELL House is re- asserting itself as Sligo’s premiere tourist attraction this season with a host of new exhibitions and historic rooms never previously opened to the public.
Their ‘ March of a Nation’ exhibition has a life- size theatrical set of the GPO, Moore Street and Kilmainham Gaol as seen in 1916. Owners Constance Cassidy and EddieWalsh created two new gardens, refurbished the Lissadell House interiors and took on heritage catering specialists for their March 5th opening.
THERE’S a new show in town – Lissadell House is stepping up several gears for its 2017 tourist season with a mini- movie set of the 1916 Rising and new food offering.
Visitors can now walk in the footsteps of Sligo revolutionary Countess Markievicz and the Easter Rising leaders in life size sets of the GPO, Moore Street and Kilmainham Gaol. The sets have been renamed ‘ March of the Nation’ and open to the public on March 5th next.
It’s among several developments taken by the owners Eddie Walsh and Constance Cassidy to cater for more tourists this year, with plans in place for garden theatre events and garden shows this summer.
They’ve brought in expert heritage caterers CaToCa Fine Foods and Catering to bring their culinary offering to a new level.
Based mainly in the midlands, the husband and wife team of Kevin and Elizabeth Byrne operate tearooms in historical mansions such as Belvedere House and Gardens Mullingar, Emo Court in Laois, Tullynally Castle in Castlepollard, Co Westmeath and Dun na Sí Amenity and Heritage Park in Moate.
“Our next venture is here in Lissadell House which we’re very excited about,” Elizabeth told The Sligo Champion.
“We try to source all our fresh food locally, organic if possible. The potential is endless on a huge property like this, it’s brilliant. We have high hopes,” she said.
“We press our own apple juice from Emo Court, all of our food is home- baked. People come here looking for something different and the food and service to go with that and we will provide it,” said Kevin Byrne.
Constance Cassidy said they were “delighted” to bring CaToCa to Lissadell.
“Our main goal now is to streamline things because of the big increase in numbers of the last few years and tour buses,” she told this newspaper.
“I was doing all the catering for the last three years but now we’re offering wedding parties as well, to bring more people to Sligo,” she said.
“We’ve got this incredible new exhibition ‘ March of the Nation’, two new gardens - The Lady Mary Garden and the Woodland Garden and river walks, all opening on March 5th,” she said. Constance has also spent the last six months completely fur-
bishing the house “from top to bottom”.
Eddie Walsh is sharing artifacts from his private collections including Robert Emmet’s time, the Fenian Rising in 1867, 1798 and all the Countess’s cartoons in one of the new exhibitions.
In all, it will be the largest revolutionary- type exhibition of its kind in Ireland. “We’re looking forward to a fantastic new season bringing more tourists to Sligo,” added Constance.