The O'Dochartaigh Castles
Inishowen, Co. Donegal
1645 Provincia Ultoniae Map by Jaonnem Janssonius
An Introduction to the Strongholds of the O'Dochartaigh Clann
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From surf-battered headlands to quiet river bends, Inishowen’s O’Dochartaigh castles form a stitched chain of stone - watchpoints, storehouses, and statements of who called this peninsula home.
Carrickabraghy, braced against the Atlantic on Isle of Doagh, guarded Trawbreaga Bay and signalled danger long before a sail reached shore. O’Doherty’s Keep at Buncrana anchored trade on the Crana River, its tower overseeing the bridge and ford where travellers funnelled inland. Inch Castle, perched over Lough Swilly, controlled the water road to Derry and fertile hinterland beyond. Burt Castle held the inland pass between Swilly and Foyle - a hard key in any campaign. Grianán of Aileach High above the lowlands, Grianán of Aileach was not a castle but a crown – an ancient royal stronghold commanding Lough Swilly, Lough Foyle, and the routes between. Long before tower houses rose, this was a place of assembly, authority, and lineage. For the O’Dochartaigh, it anchored their story in deep time, a reminder that power here began on the hilltop, not behind walls. O'Doherty's Tower Within the Derry City Walls, the O’Dochartaigh Tower marks the Clann’s uneasy relationship with the city they once shaped and later opposed. Built into the defences, it speaks to negotiation, surveillance, and shifting allegiance - a foothold inside stone that was never entirely secure, because proximity to power cuts both ways. At Elagh Castle, the Clann’s southern gate faced the walled town of Derry, friend or foe depending on the decade. For a time, this was the heart of O’Dochartaigh power - a commanding height where land and river routes converged, and where authority was both seen and felt. From Elagh, the Clann watched the Foyle, measured their neighbours, and held the line between cooperation and conflict, its importance written not in size, but in position. Culmore Fort, at the mouth of the Foyle, was the choke point for sea traffic into Derry and the Lough. In 1608 Sir Cahir O’Doherty seized its guns and turned them on Derry, a fierce reminder that the Clann’s strongholds worked in concert - control the narrows, shape the campaign. Redcastle Redcastle, standing at the narrowing of Lough Foyle, guarded the maritime threshold between Inishowen and the wider world. From here, movement could be watched, taxed, or challenged. Alongside Culmore and Elagh, it formed part of a coordinated system – not isolated ruins, but pieces of a wider strategy where sea, river, and land were read as one. Northburg at Greencastle began as Anglo-Norman, yet the O’Dochartaigh story runs through its shadow, because power is rarely tidy. |
The main O'Dochartaigh Castles of Inishowen, Co. Donegal
O'Dochartaigh Tower which was rebuilt on the site of the old stronghold and now houses the Tower Museum Collection
Blair Family from North Carolina, USA visiting An Grianan Aileach
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Together these strongholds made a defensive web - beacons, runners, and kinship binding distances that today take minutes by car. They sheltered cattle, archives, and people in hard seasons, and they projected authority in easier ones. Stand in any doorway and you can still feel the briefings on the wind - “hold the line, watch the water, keep the clann”.
Join us on a tour of the O'Dochartaigh Castle Network which will allow you to explore the Clann history, retrace the footsteps of your ancestors and revel in the warrior heritage of this ancient lineage in Ireland's most northerly and largest peninsula.
O'Dochartaigh Castle Tour Options:
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Please click on the button below to arrange a tour or to find out additional information:
Burt Castle
Burt, Co. Donegal
Built around 1560, this quadrangular structure, with circular towers at its alternate angles stands with imposing views southwards over the Laggan Valley and beyond.
The castle was first referred to in a grant of land to the O’Dohertys in 1587 and it was occupied by English forces between 1601-1602. When peace was re-established, it was granted to the young Cathir O’Dochartaigh who made it his main residence.
One of the most important of the O’Doherty Castles, Burt was the backdrop from which Sir Cahir Rua O’Dochartaigh, the last Gaelic Lord of Inishowen launched his unsuccessful rebellion in 1608.
The castle was first referred to in a grant of land to the O’Dohertys in 1587 and it was occupied by English forces between 1601-1602. When peace was re-established, it was granted to the young Cathir O’Dochartaigh who made it his main residence.
One of the most important of the O’Doherty Castles, Burt was the backdrop from which Sir Cahir Rua O’Dochartaigh, the last Gaelic Lord of Inishowen launched his unsuccessful rebellion in 1608.
Recent clients on tour of O'Dochartaigh Castles of Inishowen
Mary, Gerry and Laura Daugherty from Missouri, USA
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Alex O'Dogherty from Spain, is a direct descendant from the brother of warrior Cahir Rua O'Dochartaigh, the last of the Gaelic Chieftains who ruled these lands. Pictured here with his partner, Ana
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Inch Castle
Inch Island, Co. Donegal
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Inch Castle is situated at the extreme seaward end of Inch Island. The castle was constructed around 1430 by the Gaelic Irish lord Neachtain O'Donnell for his father-in-law Cahir O'Doherty but, by 1609, when granted to Sir Arthur Chichester, he stated that it was in a state of disrepair.
The O'Doherty's were the dominant family on the nearby peninsula of Inishowen and had close links with the O'Donnells. It came to form part of the defensive network of O'Doherty fortifications designed to protect them from rival clans and to overawe those who accepted their overlordship. The land between the Swilly and the Foyle was rich in cattle and corn, but it was vulnerable to attack from both land and sea, thus explaining the number of castles built in the region. When the castle was built, Inch was an island and was considered secure. It guarded the waters of the Swilly and protected the heartlands of the O’Dohertys. Interestingly though, the O’Dohertys resided at the castle of Elagh, near Derry/Londonderry instead, until 1600. |
Inch Castle, Inch Island, Co. Donegal - Photo Credit: Chris Newman
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As for Inch Island itself, it had over four hundred inhabited houses in the early seventeenth century, making it the wealthiest district in Donegal at that time. This, in the context of upheaval in Ulster, made it a target throughout the century.
The loss of Inch Island to the English was the catalyst for Sir Cahir O’Doherty’s rebellion against the English. That, along with being struck in public by the Governor of Derry, George Paulet, who was considered by O'Doherty to be of "lower class", spurred Cahir into action.
The loss of Inch Island to the English was the catalyst for Sir Cahir O’Doherty’s rebellion against the English. That, along with being struck in public by the Governor of Derry, George Paulet, who was considered by O'Doherty to be of "lower class", spurred Cahir into action.
O'Dochartaigh's Keep
Buncrana, Co. Donegal
Sitting on the banks of the River Crana near Lough Swilly adjacent Swan Park and the Castle Bridge stands O’Doherty’s Keep
In 1601 it was a small, two-story castle, occupied by Conor Mc Garret O’Dochartaigh. In 1602 a third storey was added, and the keep restored by Hugh Boy O’Dochartaigh. He intended it as a base for aid from Spanish forces who were expected to arrive at Inch Island.
Crown forces burnt the keep in 1608 in retaliation for the revolt of Sir Cahir O’Dochartaigh, who had sacked and destroyed the city of Derry. After Sir Cahir O’Dochartaigh’s death at the Battle of Kilmacrennan, the Keep was granted to Sir Arthur Chichester, who leased it to Englishman Henry Vaughan. Further restoration work was carried out by the Vaughan family who occupied the keep until 1718. The town of Buncrana finds it’s origins from this location.
In 1601 it was a small, two-story castle, occupied by Conor Mc Garret O’Dochartaigh. In 1602 a third storey was added, and the keep restored by Hugh Boy O’Dochartaigh. He intended it as a base for aid from Spanish forces who were expected to arrive at Inch Island.
Crown forces burnt the keep in 1608 in retaliation for the revolt of Sir Cahir O’Dochartaigh, who had sacked and destroyed the city of Derry. After Sir Cahir O’Dochartaigh’s death at the Battle of Kilmacrennan, the Keep was granted to Sir Arthur Chichester, who leased it to Englishman Henry Vaughan. Further restoration work was carried out by the Vaughan family who occupied the keep until 1718. The town of Buncrana finds it’s origins from this location.
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The Daugherty Family from Missouri, USA with Ronan O'Doherty, former owner of the Keep
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Stunning photo of O'Doherty's Keep from the back
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Carrickabraghy Castle
Isle of Doagh, Clonmany, Co. Donegal
With Dunaff Head and Urris is the background, this castle stands witness to many beautiful sunsets at it faces west to the Atlantic Ocean. Also the perfect place to view the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights.
Carrickabraghy today is a small square keep with a round tower beside it joined on at one corner. The building stands right on the rocky shore of Doagh Island and has been part of a much larger stone built complex of buildings. The castle is at least sixteenth century and was in the possession of Phelemy Brasleigh O’Doherty in 1600.
In 1608 Sir Cahir O’Doherty used the castle to plan his attack on Culmore Fort and Derry and in 1611 it was granted to Chichester who let it to a Lieutenant Hoan. This soldier set about creating a bawn around it and the outer walls seem to have lasted in part up to the early nineteenth century.
A local committee was set up to conserve the castle structure and the first phase of these works was completed in 2013 thanks to government funding and the generous donations received from around the world.
Carrickabraghy today is a small square keep with a round tower beside it joined on at one corner. The building stands right on the rocky shore of Doagh Island and has been part of a much larger stone built complex of buildings. The castle is at least sixteenth century and was in the possession of Phelemy Brasleigh O’Doherty in 1600.
In 1608 Sir Cahir O’Doherty used the castle to plan his attack on Culmore Fort and Derry and in 1611 it was granted to Chichester who let it to a Lieutenant Hoan. This soldier set about creating a bawn around it and the outer walls seem to have lasted in part up to the early nineteenth century.
A local committee was set up to conserve the castle structure and the first phase of these works was completed in 2013 thanks to government funding and the generous donations received from around the world.
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Blair Family from North Carolina, USA with Dochartaigh Clann roots visiting Carrickabraghy Castle in June 2025
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Drawing of Carrickabraghy Castle in 1802 by Captain Wm. Smith
Northburg Castle
Greencastle, Co. Donegal
Doughty sisters of Auckland, New Zealand visiting Northburg Castle
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Northburgh Castle, also known as Green Castle, is a ruined 14th-century castle near Greencastle, County Donegal, Ireland. It was built in 1305 by Richard Óg de Burgh, 2nd Earl of Ulster. Northburgh Castle was sited to control Lough Foyle.
De Burg did not keep possession of his castle long, as from 1315 to 1316 he defended against attacks from Edward Bruce, brother of Robert Bruce of Scotland. Following the battle of Bannockburn, Edward was sent to Ireland by his brother to win the crown of Ireland. Northburg was soon seized by Edward in 1316. However the victory was not sustained, as Edward was killed in Co. Down shortly after 1318. De Burg regained his stronghold and was succeeded by his grandson, William, when he retired eight years later. William was known as the Brown Earl and married Maude Plantagenet, great granddaughter of Henry III. The Lordship of Inishowen passed on to the O’Donnell’s early in the 15th century. Their dependents, the O’Dohertys established themselves at Northburg. |
In 1541 Sean Mor O’Doherty, Lord of Inishowen, joined with the other chiefs in submitting to King Henry VIII and was given the title of Sir John Mor O’Doherty. He married Rose, daughter of Manus O'Donnell, Lord of Tir Connail. Calvach, son of Manus O’Donnell, on having a disagreement with his father left Tir Connail to seek help in Scotland, where he obtained forces. He returned to Donegal with a famous gun called Gonna Gam ( The Crooked Gun), with which he destroyed Northburg in 1555. Northburgh Castle was left more or less in the state we see it today.
Around the time of the Ulster Plantation in the 1600s the castle came under the control of the Lord Deputy of Ireland. He made a small number of repairs and garrisoned English troops here for a time, but by 1700 it was completely ruined.
Around the time of the Ulster Plantation in the 1600s the castle came under the control of the Lord Deputy of Ireland. He made a small number of repairs and garrisoned English troops here for a time, but by 1700 it was completely ruined.
Photos taken at the Inishowen 100 Tour during the O'Dochartaigh Clann Reunion (Ireland) 2023
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Goats...the latest residents of Northburg Castle in Greencastle, Co. Donegal
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Culmore Fort
Culmore Point, Co. Derry
Culmore Point, Co. Derry
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Culmore Fort stands at the narrow mouth of Lough Foyle, the stone lock on the waterway to Derry. First raised in the late sixteenth century as a Tudor artillery fort, it guarded sea traffic, customs and the ferry, its guns commanding the channel at point-blank range.
In 1608 Sir Cahir O’Doherty captured the fort, seized its munitions and turned the cannon on Derry, a spark that set a wider rising ablaze. Through the Plantation era the garrison watched ships, piloted officials and deterred raiders who favoured night tides and fast oars. Earthworks and bastions evolved with the gunpowder age, but the purpose stayed simple enough to explain to a child - control the narrows, control the town. Today the heritage is layered in the landscape - low banks, batteries, a commanding view where river and sea trade hands. The site speaks of maritime skill as much as military power, from pilots’ beacons to the discipline of a well kept magazine. A recently completed conservation project has stabilised the fabric, cleared viewpoints and added interpretation so visitors can read the fort at their own pace. Walk it slowly, listen to the water, and imagine the order to load and run out. |
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Guests from the O'Dochartaigh Clann Reunion (Ireland) 2025 VIP Reunion Tour enjoying the very first public tour of Culmore Fort