History

  Once a large Victorian mansion, finely furnished and with a unique banquet room in Tyrone, Altinaghree Castle (or Liscloon House or also Ogilby's Castle) is today a ruined building, located near Donemana, probably built around 1860 by William Ogilby [1, 2]. Some interesting information about the life of William can be found in [3]. William died in 1873 [4] and was succeeded by his eldest surviving son, Claude William Leslie, whose lifestyle was overly dissolute [5], to the point that he died in 1894, at the early age of 43, from kidney failure caused by years of chronic alcoholism [1, 4]. However, apparently he had left the house six years before his death [4], ending his days in a rented room in a public house at Donemana [5].
  The castle was also intended to be the residence of William’s youngest son, James Douglas Ogilby, a noted athlete, but he fell in love with Mary Jane Jamieson, a seamstress working in a factory with Catholic background, hence the union was disapproved by James’s family [1, 2]. In this way, the couple moved to Australia, where he became a famous ichthyologist and where he was appointed to the Australian Museum in 1885 [1, 2]. According to [3], unfortunately, Mary Jane died in 1893 of tuberculosis, at the young age of 29 and, although James continued his career in Ichthyology, he drank profusely for the rest of his life, dying an alcoholic in August 1925.
  Consequently, it was already since 1888 that the house was listed as ‘vacant’ and leased from the Trustees of Claude [4]. This is not a negligible detail to understand the history of the house: The fact that Claude’s affairs were in the hands of trustees suggests that he was probably bankrupt [1, 4]. Left abandoned, the building deteriorated and significantly decreased in value [4]. By the end of the century it had fallen into disrepair [1].

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Tips

  Today only a shell survives of what it was once an elegant building with a magnificent banqueting room.
  Abandoned only 25 years after it was built, Altinaghree Castle is yet intriguing to the visitor's eye.
Located on a very scenic landscape, on private farmland outside Donemana, this impressive structure can still be accessed by the most curious visitors, from the side road. The interior hides some beautiful victorian features such as bay windows and decorative arches.
  You might be careful if visiting on a rainy day, as the structure is roofless, the surface might be very slippery and if you dare to climb the stairs, take extra care, the steps end sharply.