The Irish in Britain, including those of Irish descent, make up a significant part of the UK population. Here, you will find news, entertainment, events, sports and features from the local Irish Post newspaper.

By Malcolm Rogers

Malcolm Rogers heads for one of Ireland’s most imposing fortifications, Lismore in Co. Waterford.

The county of Waterford boasts sweeping mountains, a dramatic coastline containing Ireland’s most south-easterly point and historic cities, all of which bear the imprint of Celt, Viking and Norman.

It has its own Gaeltacht and can even boast two things all self-respecting Irish counties should have: its own world famous sporting hero (in this case a canine one, the greyhound Master McGrath) and its own Nobel prize winner. Unusually for Ireland, Nobel Laureate Ernest Walton wasn’t a writer, but a scientist.

Waterford also boasts the world famous Crystal, which is arguably better known than the county itself. I have met well-educated people very aware of Waterford Crystal but with no idea Waterford was in Ireland.

And then there’s Lismore. From the Irish ‘Lios Mór’, or big fort, the town grew to prominence because of the monastery founded by Mo-Chuda (St. Carthagh) in 636. Eminent European figures studied at its celebrated school including King Alfred — although presumably he didn’t take the cookery course.

In more latter times, the castle has played host to Fred Astaire, John F. Kennedy, Madonna and Prince Charles (although not as one party).

The current Lismore Castle, an imposing structure which guards over the truly charming town, stands on the River Blackwater. The very model of what a fairytale castle should be like with its turrets, towers and moat, most of what you can see today was built by the 6th Duke of Devonshire. The site of the castle is said to have been originally chosen by Henry II in 1171 — just two years into England’s baleful 800-year sojourn on the island of Ireland.

The 19th century work on the castle was directed by Joseph Paxton, the architect of Crystal Palace, who incorporated ancient parts of the earlier castle and monastic remains into his design.

Until this year you’ve only been able to visit the gardens — although that’s reason enough to visit the place. Split into two levels, the walled lower garden is a spring paradise of camellias, rhododendrons and magnolia flourishing in the mild climate — the South East is Ireland’s sunniest area.

Lurking in amongst the azaleas and mimosas are contemporary sculptures by the likes of Elís O’Connell, Anthony Gormley, Bridget McCrum and other artists. William Burlington, the son of the present Duke of Devonshire, has encouraged the use of these modern sculptures. He evidently wants to make sure that these “carvers aren’t starvers” as the time-honoured fashion adage has it.

The woodland garden and arboretums contains many magnificent specimens of trees and shrubs from all over the world — dwarf pines, towering hemlocks and majestic carob trees. There’s even a huge walnut tree — the size of an oak — with wood as hard as rock. Apparently because of its hardness, the walnut, or Juglans regia, is the wood used in the making of rifle butts. The hard wood absorbs most of the recoil, you see.

It’s said that Walter Raleigh, a previous owner, first introduced the cherry tree into Ireland although whether it was here or not no-one can say for sure. At any rate, the wood of the cherry tree was eventually put to more benign use than the walnut — pipe makers used it to make chanters when African blackwood or ebony were in scarce supply.

Sir Walter Raleigh eventually sold the castle to Richard Boyle, Earl of Cork in 1602. The name Boyle may ring a bell. His son, also called Robert, became known as “The Father of chemistry”, the celebrated formulator of Boyle’s Law. This is one historic place.

From the scientific to the literary. The beautiful yew walk winds down towards the Blackwater — the poet Edmund Spenser is reputed to have written his Faerie Queene here. You know, the one that goes:

You may even feel the muse moving within you to write some poetry as you walk down Lismore’s yew walk. Well, I wish you better luck with your spelling than Spenser had.

In a notably grave breach of social etiquette, the Earl of Essex in 1573 invited 300 members of the ruling O’Neill clan to a feast in Belfast Castle — then promptly had them put to death. At Leap Castle in Offaly a few centuries back, the local O’Carroll boss decided to enlist the help of mercenaries from Ulster, a band of soldiers called the Northern McMahons. After schooling the O’Carrolls in the art of soldiery, 40 or so of the McMahons were invited to Leap Castle to be wined, dined and paid. Instead they were butchered to death by their erstwhile pupils.

You’ll find that most castles in Ireland have similar dark secrets, their own piece of macabre history — torture, hangings, and a certain cavalier attitude to human rights.

Lismore Castle has had its fair share of eventful history, but now a different type of hanging has been pioneered. The whole of one wing of the castle has been turned into an art gallery for ‘cutting edge art’ and will be opening on September 2. The aforementioned William Burlington, a photographer by trade, has invited different curators to programme major exhibitions throughout the year.

Leading Irish and international contemporary artists will be featured, and the first show, curated by Aileen Corkery, will include works by Matthew Barney, Richard Long, Barry Flanagan, Gerrard Byrne, Dorothy Cross, Michael Craig-Martin and Richard Billingham.

The design of Lismore Castle has greatly helped in turning this into a near perfect art gallery — although you may be sure this was the last thing on the minds of those who originally built the place. The medieval round tower — originally built to keep restless locals at bay — provides a circular ‘project room’. Some of the original wooden beams and stone walls are still on show, others have been screened off to provide the likes of “white cube spaces”.

The gallery is a deliberately modern space within an ancient context — and if that sounds too arty-farty for you, just go along yourself and soak it all in. Even if you’re like myself and more at the trailing edge of art matters, you can’t fail to be impressed.

The history of Lismore town, lying on the south bank of the Blackwater, has the typically tortured history of any old Irish settlement. The Vikings repeatedly ransacked the place, but despite this, Lismore retained its huge influence over the kingdom of Deise, the ancient Irish name for the area. It was a stronghold of the Anchorite movement in the 8th and 9th centuries, and prominent in 12th century religious reforms. It once boasted two cathedrals but it now only has one, the Catholic one being demoted. However, it remains a gem of ecclesiastical history.

For further elucidation on this history pay a visit to the Heritage Centre which occupies the old Courthouse Buildings. Here the story of Lismore is creatively interpreted with audio-visual techniques.

It can be hard to take all this history in, because today the picturesque town of Lismore seems a haven from modern day angst. But there are plenty of places to sit and ponder over the town’s long story. Eamonn’s Place and the Red House both have traditional and country music as well as serving porter and food, while you can always opt for a quiet pint (followed by a few noisy ones) at Foleys, O’Brien’s or Madden’s.

Whether you’re in a pub in the middle of the town or the art gallery up in the castle, you’ll be sure to get wall-to-wall inspiration.