Town proudly recalls its famous faces

A HERITAGE town is rolling out a new “living history” programme aimed at highlighting some of the famous people connected to the area over the years.

A new free series of a Living History production gets under way in Lismore this weekend and will feature once-regular visitors to the town such as Fred and Adele Astaire, along with Sir Walter Raleigh, Robert Boyle and Lady Charlotte Boyle who are all connected to the local castle.

The 20-minute item will be performed daily for the month of August on an hourly basis between 12noon and 4pm daily at Lismore Heritage Centre and will be performed by the youth drama section of Lismore Dramatic Society.

Commenting on the launch of the Living History series, Mealla Fahey of Lismore Heritage Centre said it will be unique to Lismore “and offers a fun and animated insight to the huge history of our heritage town and to the colourful characters who once resided here”.

The story offers a short historical revue of Lismore from its early beginnings to the 1950s, depicting the lives of the town’s famous residents including Sir Water Raleigh, Robert Boyle and Lady Charlotte Boyle in the company of Fred and Adele Astaire who all lived in Lismore Castle down the centuries.

Admission to the event will be free but enquiries regarding group bookings can be booked through the Heritage Centre.

The production is a joint initiative between Lismore Heritage Centre and Lismore Dramatic Society and part-funded by Fáilte Ireland’s Animation Programme.

* More details on the Living History series are on discoverlismore.com