Burleigh House is located at the junction of The Mall and Ellison Street in Castlebar. It is directly across from Christ Church, the 1798 Memorial, and John Moore's grave.
The Mall was formerly Lord Lucan's cricket ground and was known at the time as The Green so this magnificent house, overlooking The Mall, boasts some of the most beautiful views in the town.
The building itself is believed to be over 200 years old dating back to the 1800s. It is one of the town's best examples of Georgian architecture. The building looks today much like it has looked in the 1900s based on some photos of it at that time, and the door portico at the entrance along with the splendid steps have survived and make a striking impression when looking at the house.
Early records suggest that it was known as Foy's Hotel before the Famine and may have been used as an extra Workhouse during the Famine when the main Workhouse became full. In 1915, the building was taken over by Mr. Thomas Murphy who was a builder and master carpenter. He carried out work in the building and used the rear as his workshop while building houses around Castlebar. It is believed that Michael Collins stayed there on April 1922 after attending a Pro-Treaty meeting in the town.
The building was bought by a dentist and he operated his practice there from the 1950s and other businesses set up in the building over the years before it was finally sold to the current owner in 1993. It survived a fire in 2010 and was redecorated the following year and has been idle, more or less, until last when it was renovated to its current state (as per photo) and is used now as offices.
