It’s been their family estate for 350 years, but yesterday the Cooper family confirmed that they are selling Markree Castle, one of Co Sligo’s most historic houses. The price tag is believed to be €3.1 million.
During the Cromwellian wars, Edward Cooper was granted the land in lieu of payment as the army was broke. Now, however, Charles Cooper, the 10th generation of the family at Markree, has made what he described as the “very difficult decision” to sell.
“We feel that it is the right decision for the future of the castle,” Mr Cooper said.
Charles and Mary Cooper have been running the estate near Collooney as a hotel since 1989, when they bought "what was then a veritable ruin" from a relative.
Among the guests who have stayed at their 30-room hotel were singer Johnny Cash and golfer Tom Watson.
During their heyday when the Coopers along with local families, the Gore Booths of Lissadell and the Wynnes of Hazelwood House, comprised what Seán Ó Faoláin called “the best Protestant stock in Ireland”.
“We have always looked on the Coopers and Markree Castle as greater than the Royal Family and Buckingham Palace” the poet once wrote.
The present owner’s grandfather, Bryan, was an MP at Westminster and was elected as a TD in south Dublin in 1923. He was very involved in the Irish Literary Revival and was a friend of WB Yeats.
Another famous ancestor built an observatory and a weather station at Markree where in 1881 Ireland’s coldest ever temperature of minus 19.1 degrees Celsius was recorded.
The current building dates back to the 18th century but was transformed from Big House to castle by architect Francis Johnston, who designed such Dublin landmarks as the General Post Office and the Bank of Ireland at College Green.
The family did leave Markree for a period when it was was occupied by Free State troops during the Civil War.
According to estate agents Ganly Waters the accommodation on 98.3 hectares includes reception rooms and dining rooms “gloriously decorated with gold leaf and painted plasterwork in the Louis Quatorze style”.
A Victorian oak staircase with a stain glass window depicting the Cooper family tree, dominates the lobby area.
The owners said that while there have been numerous improvements over the past number of years, in order to remain competitive as a hotel, the facilities now requires upgrading “ and, despite our best efforts, we are not in a position to make this investment”.
They added: “It is our hope that the castle remains open as a hotel and for now it is business as usual”.
