Donegal Castle (eng. - Donegal Castle , - Irish. Caisleán Dhún na nGall Caisleán Dhún na nGall) - Coughlin Dun na nGal - one of the castles of Ireland , located in the county of Donegal , in the center of Donegal . For a long time - for more than 200 years, the castle lay in ruins, but was restored in the 1990s.
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The rectangular plan castle, built in the 15th century, has buildings in the style of the time of King James I. The castle stands on the cliff of the Eske River, near the mouth of this river and Donegal Bay. The castle is surrounded by a 17th-century wall. There is a small guardroom at the entrance with mirror symmetry. Most of the ancient masonry was from local wild stone - limestone and sandstone. The castle was the stronghold of the O'Donnell clan and the capital of the kingdom of Tyr Connaille - the last free Irish kingdom. Clan O'Donell was one of the strongest Irish clans from the 5th to the 16th century.
On Wednesday, May 25, 2016, the castle was visited by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall during his official visit to Donegal County.
History
The Irish name for Donegal Castle - Dun on n-Gall is translated as “Alien Fortress”. Why the castle and the city got such a name is not entirely clear. There is a version that the Vikings once landed in this area and built their own fortress, which was then destroyed in 1159. However, no archaeological evidence of such a Viking fortress was found. According to another version, these lands were once owned by the O'Galagher clan ( Ir. O'Gallagher O'Gallagher), which once helped the Vikings whose ship crashed off these shores, and for this the Vikings never attacked these lands. Sir Hugh O'Donnell the Elder - the wealthy chieftain of the O'Donnell clan built the castle here in 1474. At the same time, he and his wife Nuala ( Irl. Nuala Nuala) built a Franciscan monastery further downstream. Local legend speaks of tunnels connecting the two structures, but no evidence of this has been found. The castle was considered one of the best Gaelic castles in Ireland. This is evidenced by a report on a visit to the English Viceroy, Lord MP of Ireland - Sir Henry Sidney, who in 1566, in a letter to William Cecil - I Baron Burley, Lord Treasurer, described him as "the greatest and strongest fortress in all of Ireland," adding: “This is the largest castle I have ever seen in the hands of the Irish, it seems to be in good condition, one of the most beautiful, located on good ground and so close to drinking water that a boat of ten tons can come ten yards away From him".
In 1607, after the end of the Nine Years War, when the last independent kingdoms of Ireland fell, and the attempt to gain independence for Ireland ended in yet another collapse, the O'Donnell chieftain left Ireland during the so-called “Flight of the Earls.” In 1611, the castle and its lands were donated to the English captain Basil Brook. The castle was seriously damaged by the O'Donnell clan, so that the new British owners could not use it to fight against the Irish clans. But the new owners quickly restored the castle. Captain Brooke added new windows, new pediments and completed the Lord’s large new house, a wing to the watchtower, all in the style of King James I. The Brooke family owned the castle for many generations until it turned into a complete ruin in the 18th century. In 1898, the then owner, Earl of Arran, donated the castle to the Public Works Office in Ireland.
Recovery
In the 1990s, the Public Works Office renovated the castle. A new roof and floors were installed using original styles and techniques of the 15th century. Oak wood materials were brought from Brookenbrow Estate, Ferman County. The castle is currently open to the public and often hosts events such as Gaelic cultural evenings.
Literature
- Calendar of State Papers for Ireland, 1566
See also
- List of castles in Ireland