Tuesday, 31 March 2015
Saying Good-bye at the Dublin Airport
After touring the castle, it was time to head back to Longford. We went into town to visit our friends, Aisling and Noreen, at the Clara Ellen dress shop and that night we went to The Black Olive for dinner. Amy graciously treated me and it was a lovely evening. The next morning, all too soon, it was time to say good-bye. (But, it's not for long since we will be moving back to the Chicago area in June!) It was a brilliant week and I had a marvelous time!
Monday, 30 March 2015
Donegal Castle
After lunch we headed back over to tour the castle. On the tour we learned that the name Donegal comes from the Irish Dun na nGall, meaning "fort of the foreigners". Gall was usually applied to Norse invaders who may have founded Donegal. The Castle was the main residence of the royal O'Donnell family who ruled the Kingdom of Tir Chonaill from 1200 until 1601. It sits at a bend along the River Eske.
Below is the guardhouse - part of the wall surrounding the castle. It is also where you enter the grounds for the self-guided tour.
The Tower House is the tall part of the castle and was the first to be built. It was Red Hugh O'Donnell who started building the castle around 1474. The O'Donnell Kings trace lineage back to Niall of the Nine Hostages (379-405) and one-time High King of Ireland. The succession of O'Donnell chieftains and Kings of the area known as Tirconnell was unbroken until the Nine Years War with England. The war began in 1595 and was fought by the Gaelic lords of Ulster - the O'Neills of Tyrone, the O'Donnells of Tirconnell, and the Maguires of Fermanagh. Hugh O'Donnell (Not Red Hugh...) was forced to abandon Donegal in 1600. He eventually fled to Spain and died there in 1602
In 1610 the castle was given to Captain Basil Brooke, an English soldier who had fought for the English Crown in the Nine Years War. The Brooke family added the turrets and enlarged the windows in the early 17th Century.
The attached Manor House was added in 1623.
Below is the Gardrobe or Toilet...
These pictures of the ceiling are Amy's. Apparently it is put together completely with wooden dowels - no nails!
This dining hall was absolutely glorious!
It was fun to look at the lovely furniture, the beautiful tapestries and the other interesting things in the dining hall!
Then to the stairs and up to the third floor.
This floor had the exhibit cases and all the info about the history of the O'Donnells and such.
This was The Cathach of St Colm Cille. This manuscript is a version of the Old Testament Psalms, and is known as the greatest relic of the O'Donnells of Donegal.
Clearly, any shots with me standing in them are also courtesy of Amy P!
The Tower House is the tall part of the castle and was the first to be built. It was Red Hugh O'Donnell who started building the castle around 1474. The O'Donnell Kings trace lineage back to Niall of the Nine Hostages (379-405) and one-time High King of Ireland. The succession of O'Donnell chieftains and Kings of the area known as Tirconnell was unbroken until the Nine Years War with England. The war began in 1595 and was fought by the Gaelic lords of Ulster - the O'Neills of Tyrone, the O'Donnells of Tirconnell, and the Maguires of Fermanagh. Hugh O'Donnell (Not Red Hugh...) was forced to abandon Donegal in 1600. He eventually fled to Spain and died there in 1602
In 1610 the castle was given to Captain Basil Brooke, an English soldier who had fought for the English Crown in the Nine Years War. The Brooke family added the turrets and enlarged the windows in the early 17th Century.
The attached Manor House was added in 1623.
Below is the Gardrobe or Toilet...
These pictures of the ceiling are Amy's. Apparently it is put together completely with wooden dowels - no nails!
This dining hall was absolutely glorious!
It was fun to look at the lovely furniture, the beautiful tapestries and the other interesting things in the dining hall!
Then to the stairs and up to the third floor.
This floor had the exhibit cases and all the info about the history of the O'Donnells and such.
This was The Cathach of St Colm Cille. This manuscript is a version of the Old Testament Psalms, and is known as the greatest relic of the O'Donnells of Donegal.
It is believed it was written by St. Colm Cille who died in 597, making it Ireland's oldest ecclesiastical manuscript. Apparently the O'Donnells of Donegal were related to Colm Cille and claimed his protection by bringing the book into battle with them to ensure victory. The term Cathach means "battler."
Clearly, any shots with me standing in them are also courtesy of Amy P!
Donegal
After Five Finger Strand, we got ourselves on track to finished driving around the peninsula and headed back toward the heart of County Donegal. We chose to make a stop in the town of Donegal - another place I had not yet been... The weather was CRAZY! We got sun, wind, rain, and hail: it just couldn't make up it's mind!
When we got to the Castle, it was closed for lunch. There is nothing about this on the web site, but we took it as an opportunity to get some lunch ourselves. We went to The Olde Castle Bar and Red Hugh's Restaurant in this old enchanting building nearby.
Malin Head: Five Finger Strand
Okay, these pictures are ALL credited to Amy Pinski and her magnificent eye for a good photo opp!
Below is just a cute, fluffy pony.
And here, a cute, fluffy long-horn...
And these are the sheep in the soccer field behind our B&B. They looked like they were carrying blankets! They were just so fluffy!
This was an old house ruin.
These below are the pictures of Five Finger Strand. This beach is on the Inishowen Peninsula. We drove to it on accident! We thought we were heading back the way we had come, and then realized we were not, and then saw the sign for the beach so we headed out to see it. Sadly, I did not take any pictures with Steve's camera because it was so windy that the sand was blowing into my teeth, and I thought it could be bad for Steve's camera, so I opted to pilfer Amy's pictures instead!
Above is the road, which was blacktopped and then turned to sand as we got closer.
Apparently Five Finger Strand has the largest dunes of it's kind in Europe. Also, when the tide is low, you can see the wreck of the "Twilight" which sailed from Newfoundland in 1889 and sank here on it's way to Derry.
Below is just a cute, fluffy pony.
And these are the sheep in the soccer field behind our B&B. They looked like they were carrying blankets! They were just so fluffy!
This was an old house ruin.
These below are the pictures of Five Finger Strand. This beach is on the Inishowen Peninsula. We drove to it on accident! We thought we were heading back the way we had come, and then realized we were not, and then saw the sign for the beach so we headed out to see it. Sadly, I did not take any pictures with Steve's camera because it was so windy that the sand was blowing into my teeth, and I thought it could be bad for Steve's camera, so I opted to pilfer Amy's pictures instead!
Above is the road, which was blacktopped and then turned to sand as we got closer.
Apparently Five Finger Strand has the largest dunes of it's kind in Europe. Also, when the tide is low, you can see the wreck of the "Twilight" which sailed from Newfoundland in 1889 and sank here on it's way to Derry.
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