Court rules public rights of way exist on Lissadell estate

Following a protracted legal battle, the High Court has ruled that public rights of way do exist at the historic Lissadell estate in Sligo.

The owners of Constance Markievicz’s former home were trying to stop the public from using four routes through the property.

The costs of this 58-day legal battle are believed to outstrip the €4m paid for Lisadell by barristers Constance Cassidy and Edward Walsh in 2003.

The couple invested a further €9.5m restoring the ancestral home of the Gore Booth family which is a significant tourist attraction in the area.

Last year they brought proceedings against Sligo County Council challenging a council resolution calling for the preservation of four public rights of way on the private estate.

Today the High Court found long use by the public inferred that these rights of way do exist, but only during daylight hours.

In a lengthy judgment Mr Justice Bryan McMahon also urged the public to exercise their rights in a way that is sensitive to the owners.