The longest, most beautiful & most robbed historic house in Ireland

Russborough House was designed by Richard Cassel, one of the greatest architects to have worked in Ireland. It was built in 1755 for Joseph Leeson, The 1st Earl of Milltown, and is regarded as one of the most beautiful houses in the country. It also has the longest facade at over 700 feet. In 1952 Sir Alfred Beit, and his wife Clementine, bought Russborough and filled it with a priceless art collection. This collection was inherited from his uncle Alfred Beit founder of the De Beer diamond company whose collection included works by Goya, Vermeer, Gainsborough, and Rubens. The house has subsequently had the record of being one of the most robbed houses. It has been robbed by the IRA in 1974, then by Martin Cahill aka The General in 1986, and then by armed raiders in 2001. The house is now open to the public and has beautiful gardens, crafts, a playground, and even a hedge maze.