Donegal Castle
| Donegal Castle | ||
|---|---|---|
 Donegal Castle with donjon on the right and manor house on the left |
||
| Alternative name (s): | Caisleán Dhún ma nGall | |
| Creation time : | 15th century | |
| Castle type : | Niederungsburg (Tower House) | |
| Conservation status: | restoring | |
| Standing position : | Irish nobility | |
| Construction: | Quarry stone | |
| Place: | Donegal | |
| Geographical location | 54 ° 39 '17.9 " N , 8 ° 6' 37.9" W | |
| Height: | 7 m ASLTemplate: height / unknown reference | |
|
||
Donegal Castle ( Irish Caisleán Dhún na nGall ) is a castle ( tower house ) in the center of the city of Donegal in the county of the same name in Ireland . The castle had been in ruins for most of the past two centuries, but it was almost completely restored in the early 1990s.
The castle consists of a 15th century donjon with a rectangular floor plan and a Jacobean-style building that was added later . The complex is located in a loop of the River Eske near its confluence with Donegal Bay . It is surrounded by a border wall from the 17th century. At the entrance there is a small gatehouse in the style of the donjon. Most of the masonry is made up of local limestone and some sandstone . The castle was the stronghold of Clan O'Donnell , lords of the Kingdom of Tir Conaill and one of the most powerful Gaelic families in Ireland from the 5th to the 16th centuries.
history
Donegal ( Irish Dún na nGall ) can be translated as the Stranger's Castle , which may indicate a Viking fortress in the area, which was destroyed in 1159. However, because of the centuries-long use of the land, no traces of this early fortress were found. Red Hugh O'Donnell , powerful clan chief, had the current castle built in 1474. At the same time he and his wife Nuala had a Franciscan monastery built further down the river . A local legend tells of a tunnel connecting the two buildings, but no trace of it was found in the ground. The castle was considered to be one of the most beautiful Gaelic castles in Ireland. This can be read in an account of the visit of the English viceroy , the Lord Deputy of Ireland , Sir Henry Sidney , in 1566. In a letter to William Cecil (promoted to 1st Baron Burghley in 1571 ), Lord High Treasurer , he described it as "the largest and strongest fortress in all of Ireland" and added:
“(...) it is the greatest thing I have ever seen in the hands of an Irishman: and it seems to be in good condition; one of the most beautiful on good soil and so close to navigable water that a ship of 10 tons could approach it at 10 yards. "
In 1607, after the Nine Years' War , the leaders of Clan O'Donnell left Ireland while the counts fled . In 1611, during the Plantation of Ulster , an English captain, Basil Brook , received the castle and surrounding lands. The Tower House was massively damaged by the retreating O'Donnells so that the castle could not be used against Gaelic clans, but was quickly restored by the new owners. Brooke also had windows and a new gable added and a mansion added , all in a Jacobean style.
The Brooke family owned the castle until the 1670s when they moved to near Lisnaskea , County Fermanagh . Back in the 1670s, the Brookes sold the castle to the Gore dynasty who later became the Earls of Arran , a title of the Irish aristocracy . In 1898 the then owner, Arthur Gore, 5th Earl of Arran , left the castle to the Office of Public Works .
restoration
In the early 1990s, the castle was partially restored on behalf of the Office of Public Works . The Tower House got new floors and a new roof in the style and with the techniques of the 15th to 17th centuries. The masonry was restored and the roof of the manor house partially replaced. Some of the oak beams are from the Colebrooke Estate outside Brookeborough in County Fermanagh. Parts of the outer walls of the Tower House were plastered with Harl .
The castle is now open to the public and events are often held there, such as B. Gaelic cultural evenings or events of the Ulster Scots .
Individual evidence
- ^ Calendar of State Papers for Ireland (1566).
