The Saunderson family acquired the original castle during the Ulster plantation. The original castle was inhabited by the O’Reillys of Breffni and formerly known as Breffni Castle. The present castle dates from the 1840s. One notable member of the family born here was Edward Saunderson, a founder of the Ulster Unionist Party.
Although unoccupied by the Saundersons, the property was not sold by the family until 1977 when it was bought by a businessman who undertook restoration work. For a period it then became an hotel before being sold again in the 1990s after which fire gutted the house. In 1997 Castle Saunderson and its grounds were acquired by what is now called Scouting Ireland which initially appeared to show interest in restoring the building but eventually chose to construct a new centre elsewhere in the grounds.
