Donegal Castle showing keep, on right, and Jacobean wing.

Donegal castle (Irish : Caisleán Dhún na nGall ) or O’Donnell’s Castle (Irish : Caisleán Uí Domhnaill) is a castle situated in the centre of Donegal town, County Donegal in the northwest of the Republic of Ireland. The castle consists of a 15th century keep with a later built Jacobean style wing. The complex is sited on a bend in the Eske River, near the mouth of Donegal bay, and is surrounded by a 17th boundary wall. There is a small gatehouse at its entrance mirroring the design of the keep. The castle was the stronghold of the O'Donnell clan, Lords of Tír Conail and one of the most powerful Gaelic families in Ireland from the 5th to 16th centuries. Image File history File links Donegalcastle. ... Image File history File links Donegalcastle. ... The main gatehouse of Harlech Castle, Wales. ... Donegal (Dún na nGall in Irish) is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. ... County Donegal (Irish: Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county in the northwest of Ireland. ... The Jacobean style is the name given to the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. ... ODonnell Coat of Arms another ODonnell Coat of Arms HeatherODonnell is my best friend. ... For other uses, see Donegal (disambiguation) Donegal ( Irish: Dún na nGall) is a county in the northwest of Ireland. ...

History

Coat of Arms of the O'Donnell Clan

Donegal, or in Irish Dún na nGall translates as Fort of the Foreigner possibly coming from a Viking fortress destroyed in 1159 in th area. However, due hundreds of years of development, no archaeological evidence of this early fortress exists. The castle was built in 1474 by Hugh Roe O'Donnell, wealthy chief of the O'Donnell clan at the time. At the same time, he and his wife Nuala, built a Franciscan Abbey further down the river. A local legend tells of a tunnel connecting the two but no evidence for this has been found. The castle was regarded as one of the finest Gaelic castles in Ireland. This was indicated by a report by a visiting English deputy Henry Sydney in 1566- Image File history File links Download high resolution version (600x692, 99 KB) Summary ODonnell Coat of Arms Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (600x692, 99 KB) Summary ODonnell Coat of Arms Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Vikings were Norse warriors who raided the coasts of Scandinavia, the British Isles, and other parts of Europe from the late 8th century to the 11th century. ... Events In the Roman Catholic Church, Cardinals are given the right of election of the Pope. ... A legend (Latin, legenda, things to be read) is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude. ... Gaelic as an adjective means pertaining to the Gaels, whether to their language or their culture. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the British Isles Languages English (de facto) Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st... Events January 7 - Pius V becomes Pope Selim II succeeds Suleiman I as Sultan of the Ottoman Empire Religious rioting in the Netherlands signifies the beginning of the Eighty Years War in the Netherlands. ...

"it is the greatest I ever saw in an Irishman's hands: and would appear to be in good keeping; one of the fairest situated in good soil and so nigh a portable water a boat of ten tonnes could come within ten yards of it"

After the disasterous Nine Years war the leaders of the O'Donnell clan left Ireland in the Flight of the Earls. In 1611 the castle and its lands were granted to an English Captain, Basil Brooke. The keep had been severely damaged by the leaving O'Donnells to prevent the castle being used against the Gaelic clans but was quickly restored by its new owners. Brooke also added windows, a gable and large manor-house wing to the keep, all in the Jacobean style. The castle was owned by the Brooke family for many generations until it fell into a ruinous state in the 18th century. In 1898 the then owner, the Earl of Arran, donated the castle to the Office of Public Works. The Nine Years War in Ireland took place from 1594 to 1603 and is also known as Tyrones Rebellion. ... In September 1607, Hugh ONeill, 2nd Earl of Tyrone and Rory ODonnell, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell set sail from Rathmullan, a village on the shore of Lough Swilly in County Donegal, with ninety of their followers. ... Events June 23 - Henry Hudsons crew maroons him, his son and 7 others in a boat November 1 - At Whitehall Palace in London, William Shakespeares romantic comedy The Tempest is presented for the first time. ... The Jacobean style is the name given to the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. ... 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Earl of Arran is a title in the Peerage of Ireland, and also in the Peerage of Scotland. ... The Office of Public Works (OPW) is responsible for Irish Government and historic buildings in the Republic of Ireland. ...

Renovations

Recently the castle has been renovated by the OPW. The keep has had new roofing and flooring added, all built in keeping with the original styles and techniques used in the 15th and 17th centuries. The stone work has been restored and the manor wing has been partially roofed. The oak timbers used came from the Brookeborough Estate in County Fermanagh. The castle is now open to the public and often hosts events like Gaelic cultural evenings. Brookeborough is a village in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. ... County Fermanagh (Contae Fhear Manach or Fear Manach in Irish), is the westernmost of the six counties that form Northern Ireland. ...

Historic Irish Houses and Castles

Áras an Uachtaráin | Allenstown House | Ardbraccan House | Birr Castle | Blarney Castle | Bunratty Castle | Cahir Castle | Carrickmines Castle | Carton House | Castleknock Castle | Castletown House | Chichester House | Clonalis House | Clontarf Castle | Deerfield |Desmond Castle | Donegal castle | Doonagore Castle | Dromoland Castle | Dublin Castle | Dunboy Castle | Dunguaire Castle | Durhamstown Castle | Emo Court | Farmleigh | Frescati House | Foulksrath Castle | Grianan of Aileach | Howth Castle | Iveagh House | Kilkenny Castle | King John's Castle | Knappogue Castle | Leap Castle | Leinster House | Lismore Castle | Malahide Castle | Mansion House | Mornington House | O'Dea Castle | Ormonde Castle | Parkavonear Castle | Powerscourt House | Rathfarnham Castle | Redwood Castle | Rock of Dunamase | Ross Castle | Russborough House | Slane Castle | Swords Castle | Tower house | Trim Castle | Tyrone House dublin castle tower File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Áras an Uachtaráin (formerly the Viceregal Lodge) is the official residence of the President of Ireland, located in the Phoenix Park on the Northside of Dublin1. ... Allenstown House was a large 5-bay, 4 storey Georgian mansion in County Meath, Ireland. ... Ardbraccan House (known sometimes historically as Ardbraccan Palace) is a large Palladian county house in County Meath in the Republic of Ireland. ... Birr Castle is a large castle in the town of Birr in County Offaly, Ireland. ... View from the top of the castle of the surrounding grounds Kissing the Blarney Stone See Also Blarney Stone of Eloquence External Links Official Blarney Castle Website Categories: Ireland geography stubs | Europe buildings and structures stubs | Castles in Ireland ... Bunratty Castle Bunratty Castle,Newmarket-on-Fergus,County Clare, Ireland is of Norman Architecture. ... Categories: Ireland-place stubs | Castles in Ireland ... Carrickmines Castle is a controversial archeological site in County Dublin in eastern Ireland. ... Carton House is one of Irelands greatest stately homes and one time ancestral seat of the Earls of Kildare and Dukes of Leinster. ... Castleknock Castle is the ruins of a Norman castle in the grounds of Castleknock College in Castleknock, Dublin, Ireland. ... Castletown House, Irelands finest Palladian country house, is an imposing building built in 1722 for William Connolly, the Speaker of the Irish House of Commons. ... Clonalis House is the Ancestral Home of the OConors, Kings of Connacht and at various times, High Kings of Ireland. ... Desmond Castle is an example of an urban tower house located in the town of Kinsale in County Cork, Ireland. ... Doonagore Castle, overlooking Doolin and the Atlantic Ocean Doonagore Castle is a 14th Century round tower house with a small walled enclosure, located on the outskirts of the small, coastal town of Doolin in County Clare, Ireland. ... A large castle and five star hotel in County Clare, Ireland. ... [[the building to the right. ... Dunboy Castle was a stronghold of the OSullivan Bere, a Gaelic clan leader and Chief of Dunboy. The castle is located on the Beara Peninsula in south-west Ireland and was built to guard and defend the harbour of Bearhaven. ... Dunguaire Castle (Irish: Dún Guaire) is a 16th century tower house on the southeastern shore of Galway Bay in County Galway, Ireland, near Kinvara. ... 1885 Map showing the location of Durhamstown Castle Durhamstown Castle is a 500 year old towerhouse in County Meath in Ireland. ... Farmleigh was formerly one of the Dublin residences of the Guinness brewing family. ... Frescati (sometimes misspelled Frascati) was an estate situated in Blackrock, between the mountains and the sea. ... Foulksrath Castle (Irish: Caislean Ratha) is a 15th century Norman tower house located in Jenkinstown in County Kilkenny, Ireland. ... Exterior view of Grianan of Aileach situated in County Donegal. ... Howth Castle lies close to the village of Howth, north of the city of Dublin in Ireland. ... Kilkenny Castle Interior courtyard Kilkenny Castle is a castle in Kilkenny, Ireland. ... King Johns Castle sits on the southern bank of the River Shannon. ... The Knappogue Castle & Walled Garden, built in 1467, is located in County Clare, Ireland. ... Leap Castle is an Irish castle near the town of Birr in County Offaly. ... Leinster House The former palace of the Duke of Leinster. ... Lismore Castle is a castle in County Waterford in the Republic of Ireland. ... Malahide Castle lies close to the village of Malahide 9 miles north of Dublin in Ireland. ... The Mansion House on Dawson Street, Dublin, is the official residence of the Lord Mayor of Dublin and has been since 1715. ... Mornington House was the Dublin social season georgian residence of the Earls of Mornington. ... ODea Castle near Corofin, Co. ... Ormonde Castle was the seat of the Butler family—Earls and later Dukes of Ormonde, who acquired the castle in 1315. ... Parkavonear Castle is a 13th Century Norman castle ruin, situated at Aghadoe, overlooking the lakes of Killarney, Ireland. ... Irish Palladianism. ... // Origins Rathfarnham Castle Rathfarnham Castle was originally an Anglo-Norman castle built to defend the Pale from the Irish clans in the nearby Wicklow Mountains. ... Redwood Castle Co. ... Dun Masc or the fort of Masc, as it was known by the Celts, is one of the most historic sites in Ireland. ... Ross Castle Ross Castle Ross Castle is the ancestral home of the ODonoghue clan. ... Irish Palladianism. ... Slane Castle is a castle located in Slane, Ireland. ... Swords Castle was built as the manorial residence of the Archbishops of Dublin around 1200 or a little later. ... A tower house stands on a hillock near Quin along the back road from Limerick to Ennis. ... Trim Castle (Dublin Side) Trim Castle, [[Trim] (Baile Atha Troim in Irish)], Ireland has an area of 30,000 m². It is the remains of the largest castle in Europe, which was Norman in origin, built primarily by Hugh de Lacy and his son Walter. ...