Castle Saunderson

Castle Saunderson

Castle Saunderson is a castle near Belturbet, County Cavan, Ireland. It was the family seat of the Saunderson family, who acquired the original castle in 1573 during the Ulster plantation. The original castle was inhabited by the O'Reillys of Breffni and formerly known as Breffni Castle since the 14th century. The present castle dating from the 1840s.^{[citation needed]} A notable member of the family born there was Edward Saunderson, founder of the Ulster Unionist Party.

Captain Alexander Saunderson sold the Castle in 1977 to a businessman, who planned to use it as a residence, but this never transpired. It later served as a hotel, but was damaged by fire, the third fire to occur at the Castle. In 1997 it was acquired by Scouting Ireland (CSI). The subsequent formation of Scouting Ireland and financial difficulties have delayed its development as a cross-border Scout campsite, but substantial progress has occurred with the announcement in November 2008 of EU funding for the project, amounting to over €3 million.

The Saunderson Castle estate (currently only 103 acres)^{[citation needed]} has an entrance in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. These grounds include a church and family grave yard.