Mongavlin Castle
| Mongavlin Castle | ||
|---|---|---|
 Mongavlin Castle ruins |
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| Alternative name (s): | Mongevlin Castle | |
| Creation time : | 16th Century | |
| Castle type : | Niederungsburg | |
| Conservation status: | ruin | |
| Standing position : | Irish nobility | |
| Construction: | Quarry stone | |
| Place: | St Johnston | |
| Geographical location | 54 ° 54 '15 " N , 7 ° 27' 12" W | |
| Height: | 1 m ASLTemplate: height / unknown reference | |
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Mongavlin Castle , also Mongevlin Castle , the ruins of a lowland castle on the west bank of the River Foyle , about 3 kilometers south of the village of St Johnston in Irish County Donegal . It was once the fortress of the O'Donell von Tyrconell family .
In the 16th century, Mongavlin Castle was the main residence of Iníon Dubh , daughter of James MacDonald, 6th of Dunnyveg and mother of Hugh Roe O'Donnell . The State Paper , which records her ownership of the castle, says:
“(...) from Cul-Mac-Tryan extends a 3 mile long swamp on the side of Lake Foyle; in the middle of the swamp there is a standing lake called Bunaber; O'Donnell's mother (Ineen Dubh M'Donnell) lives here in Bunaber. Three miles above Cargan there is a fort called McGevyvelin (Mongivlin) on the river of Loch Foyle, the main home of O'Donnell's mother. "
When Ineen Dubh came to Ireland to marry Sir Hugh O'Donnell , she brought with her a force of 100 of the greatest men to be found in Scotland . These soldiers were her bodyguards, 80 of whom were named Crawford . When the O'Donnell family later gave up Mongavlin Castle, the Crawfords settled in the area and got married. Many of their descendants can still be found in the area today.
In April 1608, after the Counts had fled (September 14, 1607), Sir Cahir O'Doherty , the last Gaelic lord of Inishowen and rebel leader, besieged the city of Derry . He was enraged that his lands at the Plantation of Ulster had been confiscated. While Sir Cahir was trying to take Derry, he sent Sir Niall Garve O'Donnell to Lifford Castle to thwart any attempt by the English to send reinforcements across the ford at Lifford to Derry. Eager to fight, Niall Garve O'Donnell wanted to be close to the action and get a good deal of the loot if Derry was pillaged. Instead of moving to Lifford, he marched to Mongavlin Castle and chased Ineen Dubh away. From here he began looting the area. When Sir Cahir heard the news of Sir O'Donnell's actions, he in turn drove him out of Mongavlin Castle and let Ineen Dubh move back in. Sir Cahir later burned and sacked Derry, killing the governor, Sir George Paulet . Soon after, the castle was abandoned due to internal family fighting by the O'Donnells.
The castle was included in his Survey of the Escheated Counties of Ulster by Captain Nicholas Pynnar in 1619 , where he wrote that Sir John Stewart had built a very strong castle in "Magerlin", with a tower on every corner. It had a keystone labeled JS - EST - 1619 above the entrance gate, but it was lost in the early 18th century. Even if the source states that the castle was completed in 1619, there is a contradiction to a later report (1622) by the Escheated Counties of Ulster , which says: Sir John Stuart, candidate for the Duke of Lennox , “has had a lime and stone castle built on the banks of the River Foyle, 50 'x 25' x 3½ stories, clad in clapboard and with four flanking towers on top. There was an iron portcullis ; the main wooden parts and connectors were made of oak and were laid but not nailed up or compartments made. The iron window grilles were ready to be installed in the castle. "
Ludovic Stewart, 2nd Duke of Lennox , was granted Mongevlin Castle and the surrounding 400 hectares by royal patent on July 23, 1610. After Ludovic Stewart's death on February 16, 1624, his title of Duke of Lennox , the castle and the lands fell to his brother, Esmé Stewart, 3rd Duke of Lennox . Esmé Steart had married Katherine Clifton, 2nd Baroness Clifton , in 1609 and the couple had 11 children. After Esmé's death in August 1624, his widow married James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Abercorn, around 1632 . James Hamilton, 6th Earl of Abercorn and Viscount Strabane , had a plaque erected in 1704 in memory of his mother, '' The Honorable Elizabeth Hamilton ''.
King James II of England and James VII of Scotland visited Mongavlin Castle on his way to the besieged city of Derry in 1690. From here he sent a letter suggesting the abandonment, but it was refused.
Today the castle is in ruins; only a small part is still standing.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b J. AH: Mongevlin Castle, County of Donegal . In: The Dublin Penny Journal . P. 240, 1836. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
- ↑ EM Jope: Mongavlin Castle, Co. Donegal . In: Ulster Journal of Archeology . Pp. 169-172. January 1, 1954. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
- ^ The Houses of Stewart from 1500 . knoxthedonegalroutes.net. Archived from the original on September 17, 2013. Retrieved October 5, 2018.