Doe Castle - County Donegal Ireland

Situated on the waters of the Atlantic, Doe Castle (Caisleán na dTuath) is located on an inlet of Sheephaven Bay in County Donegal. The castle consists of high outer walls surrounding an interior bawn with a four-storey tower-house keep. The name Doe comes from tuath, which is the Irish word for territory. Doe Castle was built in the early 15th Century by either the O’Donnells of Donegal or the McSweeneys who were gallowglasses (professional fighters) that came from Scotland to fight for the O’Donnells.
Doe castle remained in the hands of the McSweeneys (also spelled MacSweeney) for nearly 200 years and was ruled by 13 McSweeney chiefs. In 1588, Doe Castle was used by McSweeney chief Eoghan Og II to provide shelter for survivors of the Spanish Armanda. In 1601 Maolmhuire an Bhata Bhui, the last McSweeney chief of Doe Castle, joined Red Hugh O’Donnell, lord of Tyrconnell, and marched out to the Battle of Kinsale.
In the struggle for control of Ireland between the Irish and the English, Doe Castle changed hands many times. Following the McSweeneys, Doe Castle fell into the hands of English settlers in the aftermath of the Plantation of Ulster in the early 17th century. In 1642 Owen Roe O’Neill sailed to Doe Castle from France to lead the Ulster Army of the Irish Confederate forces during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. In 1650, the governor of Londonderry, Sir Charles Coote, took possession of the castle. Following this, Doe Castle was bought by Sir George Vaughan Hart and was inhabited by his family until 1843.
Location:
goo.gl/maps/5TtXC6CBjodLhPgx9
Video By: Atomic Kinship
/ @atomickinship
Music Credit: "Julia Delaney" by Sláinte

[@efogg3]

My grandmothers dad is E.L. Sweeney.1800's. Traced His dad's bloodlines before him right to here at Donegal, this castle.

[@richardlynam2007]

Cool footage, heading to Donegal for a quick 2 night Photo trip stay. Just wondering if its worth stopping here for some shots?

[@gigmcsweeney8566]

A nicely shot video, though there are a few factual inaccuracies in the description. For a start, the MacSweeneys didn't initially go to Ireland to fight for the O'Donnells, although they did end up being protectors, in-laws, and fosterers to the O'Donnells, who they fought both for and against. Unlike the other galloglass families, they chose who they would serve, which was the Scottish custom of military service, and this often depended on who their enemies were fighting for.

[@daleraines220]

Do you know a lot about the history of the McSweeneys? I’m in the US and my mothers side is Sweeney. They supposed to have came from the McSweeney clan. I’m wanting to come next year and visit the castle.

[@Scotia6261]

@@daleraines220 The McSweeney's were fighting for the McMorish (Fitzmaurice) at the battle of Lixnaw in 1568 although their contract was up ,Edmund son of Gilla-Duv was their leader and victorious against the combined army of Fitzgeralds,McSheehys,
O'Callaghans,O'Connor-Kerry,Fitzgibbon and O'Dwyers.

[@daleraines220]

@@Scotia6261 that is interesting. Thank you.

[@barbaramccolgan8692]

Interesting how the taller inner part is so much lighter in color than the outer walls. Wonder if it was built of a different material or built at a different time. Love the wonderful Celtic music!!

[@CastlesofIreland]

Great question! The inner keep was the first part of the castle built during the 15th century and then the outer wall surrounding it was added later. In 1934, Ireland's Office of Public Works acquired the castle and in the 1990s major restorations were done on the tower house (keep). Our guess is that the lighter color of the inner keep was the result of the restoration process as most modern castle structures that are built tend to look like that.