Duke of Devonshire: Irish connection

Peregrine Andrew Mornay Cavendish became the 12th Duke of Devonshire in May 2004 on the death of his father.

Peregrine Andrew Mornay Cavendish became the 12th Duke of Devonshire in May 2004 on the death of his father.

The family estates in England comprise some 28,330 hectares (70,000 acres), principally in Yorkshire and Derbyshire.

His Irish base is Lismore Castle, Co Waterford, with views over the Blackwater Valley and the Knockmealdown Mountains. In 2004, the duke's close friend, Prince Charles and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, visited Lismore for his 60th birthday.

Lismore Castle was once owned by Sir Walter Raleigh and has been the Irish home of the Dukes of Devonshire since 1753.

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The 3,240-hectare (8,000-acre) estate is a mix of mountain, woodland and agricultural land in Co Waterford. The family acquired Careysville House on 81 hectares (200 acres) in Co Cork during the late 1940s.

The duke is well-known in racing circles and serves as "her majesty's representative at Ascot" where he is chairman and was formerly head of the Jockey Club (now the British Horseracing Board).

In Britain, he lives at the 175-room Chatsworth House, which contains one of Europe's greatest private art collections and a 30,000-volume library, with an important Irish collection.

Guests can rent Lismore Castle when the duke is not staying. A special wedding package offering a reception and dinner for up to 80 guests costs 27,000 and includes a two-night stay for up to 24 guests.