Killegar is the enchanting Georgian family home of the Godleys, who came to Ireland as merchants in the 17^th century. Killegar House was built, or was possibly remodelled from an exisiting c.1750s gable-ended house, in 1813  by John Godley III. He was responsible for building the Church of Ireland, the school and school-teacher’s house, together with the two gate-lodges and eight other cottages in the demesne. John Godley III, or "Old John" as he is known, also planted magnificent woodlands.

Killegar is described by current resident Sue, Lady Kilbracken as ‘a jewel in the heart of Leitrim’. It is the last ‘Big House’ in the county still lived in by the descendants of the family who built it and one of very few left in Ireland. Lady Sue lives at Killegar with her son, Sean Godley who is the sixth generation Godley to call Killegar home.

John Godley, Third Lord Kilbracken, inherited the house in 1950 but sadly in 1970 much of Killegar House was consumed by fire. Although Lord Kilbracken rebuilt the house, changes that were made to reduce costs have led to many structural problems and problems with damp. As a result, the house is in dire need of major renovation, especially in those parts of the house which are currently uninhabitable. Lord Kilbracken passed away in August 2006 having spent his entire life working to preserve Killegar. 

It is the family wish that the house be restored to its former glory and, with this in mind, the ‘Save Killegar Campaign’ was launched in October 2006 to enlist the help of the community, the County Councils of Leitrim and Cavan, TDs, MEPs, the Departments of Forestry, Environment, Fisheries and anyone with a love of history and Irish heritage. The campaign's aim is to set in place a strategic approach to funding and reconstruction in order to rescue the beautiful, but sadly deteriorating house. 

The ‘Save Killegar Campaign’ is currently looking for funding and investigating different business ventures which will help determine the destiny of the home Lord Kilbracken loved and fought to preserve for over fifty years.