Doe Castle

Doe Castle, Caislean na dTuath, sits on a low promontory in Sheephaven Bay with the sea on three sides and a ditch cut through the rock across the neck - a straightforward and effective position. It was built around 1420, probably by the Quinn family, and by the 1440s it belonged to the MacSweeneys, a gallowglass family of Scottish mercenary origin who had settled in Donegal and served the O'Donnells. Owen Roe O'Neill landed here in 1642 to take command of the Confederate army in Ulster. The castle changed hands repeatedly between Irish and English forces through the seventeenth century and was later converted to a residence, occupied into the nineteenth century, which is why it survives in reasonable condition. It has been restored by the state. Interior opening is limited and seasonal, often with a keyholder arrangement, and the grounds and exterior are accessible year-round.

History

The castle was most likely built around 1420 by the Quinn family, and by the 1440s it had passed to the gallowglass MacSweeneys, a branch of whom, Mac Suibhne na dTuath, held it for almost two hundred years; Owen Roe O'Neill returned here in 1642 to lead the Ulster army of the Irish Confederates (Wikipedia, Doe Castle).

What you'll find

• The promontory position - water on three sides, a rock-cut ditch on the fourth.
• The tower and bawn - sixteenth-century MacSweeney work.
• The later residence - the domestic conversion that kept it standing.
• The bay setting - Sheephaven Bay and the Donegal hills behind.

When to go

April to September for the interior, which has limited seasonal opening and sometimes depends on a keyholder. The grounds and exterior are open all year.

What to expect

Interior access is unreliable - confirm before travelling if it matters. The restoration has left the interior fairly bare. An hour covers it, and the setting is the strongest part.

Nearby

Creeslough and Ards Forest Park are close; Dunfanaghy and Horn Head are west.

Key facts