Lismore sure has a lot of history for a small town. St Carthage founded Lismore Abbey in 635, which attracted scholars from all over Europe. Unsurprisingly, the riches of the monastery also drew plundering Vikings, who proceeded to ransack the town and burn it to the ground. The Normans followed and Prince John, son of Henry II, built Lismore Castle in 1185. The castle was the birthplace of Robert Boyle in 1627, who became known as the ‘Father of Modern Chemistry’ for Boyle’s Law. Famous visitors to the town throughout its history include author William Thackeray, John F Kennedy and Fred Astaire, who was spotted supping Guinness there whilst on holiday.