Castle Leslie - S5.E2

http://www.castleleslie.com

Description: Private castle now owned by descendants of the original Leslie clan. The castle was bought in 1655 by the Bishop of Clogher John Leslie but was added to and rebuilt in 1878.

History: The Leslies can trace their ancestry back to Atilla The Hun. The first Leslie came from Scotland and was a Hungarian nobleman called Bartholomew Leslie who was the chamberlain and protector of Margaret Queen Of Scotland.

The Leslie family motto is ""Grip Fast"" which originated from when fleeing enemies Queen Margaret rode pillion on the back of Bartholomew's horse. When fording a river the queen fell off, Bartholomew through her the end of his belt and told her to grip fast the buckle. He saved the Queen's life and from that day forward she bestowed this motto to them.

The first Leslie to come to Ireland was Bishop John Leslie who was Bishop of the Isles of Scotland, in the early 1600s.

The castle's ownership was passed on down through many of the Leslie clan in