Claim: Bryan Cooper inherited the castle on the death of his great grandfather in 1909 and resided there with his family except during World War I, then from 1903 until his death in 1930, but after the Second World War, the castle stood empty and derelict for many years.
Evidence: Bryan Ricco Cooper (17 June 1884 – 5 July 1930) was an Irish politician, writer and landowner from Markree Castle, County Sligo. In 1900, his father died during the war of typhoid fever and Bryan inherited Markree from his grandfather Edward Henry Cooper. Markree Castle is a castle located in Collooney, County Sligo, Ireland. It is the ancestral seat of the Cooper family, partially moated by the River Unshin. The soldier and politician Bryan Cooper inherited the castle on the death of his father in 1902 and resided there with his family (except during World War I and when carrying out political duties) from 1903 until his death in 1930. After the Second World War the castle fell on hard times and stood empty and derelict for many years.