Donegal Castle lies in the centre of the county town, towering over the River Eske. In the fourteenth century, Red Hugh O’Donnell erected it as his personal fortification. Hugh is claimed to have burned his castle on fire after fleeing to Spain in the aftermath of the Battle of Kinsale in order to ensure that it would never come into English hands.
But he was to be let down. In 1616, Sir Basil Brooke, an English captain, became the castle’s new lord. Brooke built a magnificent manor house beside the tower as part of a huge repair scheme. He also had the spectacular chimney-piece commissioned, which was exquisitely embellished with carved fruit and his own imperial coat of arms.
In the twentieth century, the building complex fell into disrepair, but in the 1990s, it was restored to its former beauty. Currently, a series of information panels details the castle’s tumultuous history and various owners.
