Doe Castle
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(April 2021) |
| Doe Castle | |
|---|---|
| Native name Caisleán na dTuath | |
 Doe Castle from the front, featuring Towerhouse and Bawn Walls | |
| Location | Sheephaven Bay, County Donegal |
| Coordinates | 55°08′06″N7°51′50″W/ 55.135°N 7.864°W |
| Built | Early 15th century |
| Official name | Doe Castle |
| Reference no. | 319[1] |
Doe Castle,orCaisleán na dTuath,nearCreeslough,County Donegal,was the historical stronghold ofClan tSuibhne(Clan McSweeney), with architectural parallels to the Scottishtower house.Built in the early 15th century, it is one of the better fortalices in the north-west ofIreland.The castle sits on a small peninsula, surrounded on three sides by water, with a moat cut into the rock of the landward side. The structure consists mainly of high outer walls around an interiorbawnwith a four-storey tower-house or keep.
History[edit]
Doe Castle was most likely built c.1420 by the Quinn family,[2]but by the 1440s, it had come into the hands of thegallowglassMacSweeney family. The castle remained in the hands of a branch of theClan Sweeneyknown asMac Suibhne na d'Tuath(Mac Sweeney Doe) for almost two hundred years until it was seized by KingJames VI and Ibecause the MacSweeneys had rebelled against him. On 7 March 1613 during thePlantation of Ulster,the king granted the castle, along with other lands, to theAttorney-General for Ireland,SirJohn Davies (poet, born 1569).[3]On 31 December 1614, Sir John sold the castle to an English settler, Captain John Sandford fromShropshire,England.[4]
It was there thatOwen Roe O'Neillreturned in 1642 to lead theUlster Armyof theIrish Confederateforces during theWars of the Three Kingdoms.
The castle changed hands repeatedly during the 17th-century struggle for control of Ireland between the English and the Irish. It is known that in 1650,Sir Charles Coote,the Governor of Londonderry, took possession of the castle. Eventually, the castle was bought bySir George Vaughan Hartand inhabited by his family until 1843.
Today[edit]
In 1932, the castle came into the hands of the Land Commission, and in 1934 was declared a national monument and was acquired by the Office of Public Works. The tower house element of the castle underwent a major restoration in the 1990s.
Irish singerBrian McFaddenproposed to his (now ex-) wife,Kerry Katona,at the castle in 2001, it being the spot where his grandfather also had proposed to his grandmother.[5]
The castle grounds are open daily and guided tours of the tower house are available during the summer months.
References[edit]
- ^"National Monuments of County Donegal in State Care"(PDF).heritageireland.ie.National Monument Service. p. 1.Retrieved14 August2022.
- ^http://rsai.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/RathmullanGuide.pdf[bare URL PDF]
- ^Calendar of the Patent Rolls of the Chancery of Ireland.A. Thom. 1800.
- ^Calendar of the Patent Rolls of the Chancery of Ireland.A. Thom. 1800.
- ^Bryan Mcfadden And Kerry Katona Wed In Breathtaking CeremonyArchived15 July 2007 at theWayback Machine
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