Castle Balfour

Castle Balfour lies in the center of the town of Lisnaskea, in County Fermanagh, in Northern Ireland.

Castle Balfour was built around 1620 for Sir James Balfour of Glenawley. It was one of many castles designed to secure the Plantation of Ulster during the 17th century. It was built in the Scottish style of fortified houses. The village of Lisnaskea grew up around it.

During the Irish Rebellion of 1641, Castle Balfour and the village were burnt but later reoccupied. In 1689 the castle was again badly damaged by the Jacobite armies but was repaired after the Williamite victory at Limerick.

Around 1780 Castle Balfour was passed on to the Creightons of Crom, after the Balfours left Fermanagh. The last person to possess and inhabit the Castle was James Haire (1737-1833) who leased the castle from Earl Erne. James Haire and his family ceased to occupy the castle after it was destroyed by an arson-based fire in 1803. His mother, Mrs. Phoebe Haire, was killed by the fire. It is believed that the perpetrator of the fire was a member of the Maguire clan. The castle remained a ruin ever since.

In the 1960s the castle ruin was in a dangerous condition and thus it was consolidated. Further conservation work was completed in the late 1990s.

Castle Balfour is situated in the town graveyard. The graveyard is freely accessible but the interior of the castle ruin itself can not be visited. Too bad, a nice ruin.

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