Originally a fortified outpost of the Gaelic McDonagh clan guarding a ford across the River Unsin, it was granted to Cromwellian officer Cornet Edward Cooper in 1663. Astronomer Edward Joshua Cooper transformed it into a Gothic Revival mansion in the 19th century and built the Markree Observatory, which briefly housed the world's largest refracting telescope and where the asteroid 9 Metis was discovered in 1848.
Visiting Markree Castle
Yes, operates as a hotel with public restaurant
"Originally a fortified outpost of the Gaelic McDonagh clan guarding a ford across the River Unsin, it was granted to Cromwellian officer Cornet Edward Cooper in 1663."
Where to stay nearby
The closest castle hotel is Markree Castle, 0.39 km away in Collooney — 14th-century fortified outpost of the McDonagh clan, granted to the Cooper family in 1663 and expanded over succeeding centuries; the estate later hosted a major astronomical observatory.
