An Interview with my Grandad by Richard Mullarkey
My Grandad Eddie Mullarkey worked in Lissadell from 1947 to the 1980s.
What jobs did your parents have?
His dad was a gamekeeper and his mum was a housewife.
How many children were in your family?
I had one brother.
What age did you start school?
He was four years old.
What games did you play at school?
He played football.
How did you travel to school?
He walked to school.
How old were you when you started working in Lissadell House?
He was 14 years old.
What year did you start working?
My grandad started working in 1947 and he worked on the farm.
Who was your boss?
The Gore Booth family were my bosses.
What jobs did you have to do?
My grandad was a gardener and a herdsman.
When did you finish working in Lissadell House?
My grandad stopped working in Lissadell House in the 1980’s.
What did you enjoy about your job?
My grandad enjoyed working on the farm.
What didn’t you enjoy about your job?
My grandad didn’t enjoy being out in the cold during winter.
- Lissadell house was built by the architect Frances Goodwin in the 1830's for Sir Robert Gore-Booth.
- The estate was 32,000 acres but today it only contains less than 500 acres.
- Lissadell house is located in the North of Sligo overlooking Drumcliff Bay.
- It was the childhood home of Countess Markiewicz,her sister Eva and their siblings Mabel, Mordaunt and Josslin.
- The poet W.B.Yeats was friends with the Gore-Booth sisters and stayed at Lissadell house in 1892 and 1893.
- W. B. Yeats made the house famous by the opening lines of his poem
"In memory of Eva Gore-Booth and constance Markiewicz"
The light of evening, Lissadell,
Great windows open to the south
Two girls in silk kimonos, both
Beautiful, one a gazelle.
- The alpine garden was created in 1740. It was used as a pleasure garden. In the 1920's it became a exhibition garden for the alpine and herbaceous plants which were grown by Josslin Gore-Booth. The gardens were restored in 2004 by the current owners the Cassidy-Walsh family.
- The Victorian kitchen garden was built in 1840 to supply the house with fruit, vegetables and flowers.
- My great great uncle worked in the gardens at Lissadell house.
- In July 2010 Westlife and Leonard Cohen played at Lissadell house.
- There used to be a harvest dance held at Lissadell house every year and my great grandmother would have gone to this dance.
Lissadell House
By Clíodhna Hyland Donagher
by Clíodhna Hyland Donagher
A few Questions
These are a few questions you will know the answer to at the end of this presentation.
- Where is Lissadell House?
- How many children did Constance Markievicz have ?
- Who was the Minister of Labour in the first Dáil ?
Why Lissadell House?
- I live quite near the estate.
- I am interested in the architecture and the history of the building.
- My great grandfather worked as a chauffeur at Lissadell.
- I am very interested in the Gore-Booth family.
- I am fascinated by Constance Markievicz’s bravery in the Irish war of independence.
