Sir Robert Gore Booth's Five Mile Avenue

Countess Markievicz's grandfather Robert Gore Booth inherited substantial wealth when he came of age. He married his childhood sweetheart Caroline King, who unfortunately died in childbirth the following year. Two years later he married Caroline Goold and in 1834 he had Lissadell house built.

To impress his new wife with his wealth he had a private avenue to the house constructed. The avenue was 5 miles long, winding its way from Drumcliffe to the porte cochere of their new Georgian mansion at Lissadell. The avenue ran unobstructed through meadows and woods, and was designed to tunnel under the existing roads and over streams via several beautiful cut stone bridges.

Local folklore has it that the avenue was only used once for Robert to bring his new bride to her home, after their grand tour of Europe honeymoon. Join Leo for a tour of this unique aspect of Sligo's built heritage, visiting what remains of this almost forgotten avenue.

Wear good footwear and carpooling advised.