Colonel Edward Saunderson, a prominent political figure who died in 1906, was at the heart of what was once a strong unionist tradition in Co Cavan.
As a leading Orangeman, a staunch opponent of home rule and an MP who played a key role in the events leading to the launch of the Ulster Unionist Party, his thoughts on the subsequent partition of Ireland which left his native county on the southern side of the border would have been intriguing.
His family mansion on a 300 acre estate near Belturbet is on the site of the 14th century Breffni Castle, and by any standards, as we report today, is a building of immense historical and architectural significance.
It is concerning that, after changing hands on a number of occasions, it has fallen into disrepair and it is essential that the authorities should find ways of preserving and protecting an important link with our past.
