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NORTHBURGH CASTLE ~ An Caisleán Northburgh
Northburgh Castle, Greencastle
The castle at Greencastle on the Inishowen peninsual was built in 1305 by the then Earl of Uslter, Richard de Burgh, to defend the area from the O'Donnell Clan of Donegal. It was once described as "the largest and most impressive building of its kind in Ireland" (Ulster Journal of Archaeology).
It was originally called Northburg Castle, later Newcastle and then Greencastle which is a reference to the green tinge on the stones used to build the castle.
As can be seen from the photographs here, substantial parts of the castle remain but it is in quite a lot of disrepair. In 2021 a group was formed to preserve the castle: An Grúpa Caomhnaithe Caisléan Northburgh (Northburgh Castle Conservation Group).
A lengthy piece about the castle and taken from 1930's writing on duchas.ie can be read at the end of this page.
Click on any of the images to enlarge.
“A Short Account of Northburgh Greencastle
The old ruined fortress of Northburgh at Greencastle stands at the point where the River and Lough Foyle ( anciently called the River and Lough of Feval, the son of Lodan) empty themselves into the North Atlantic Ocean.
The channel at the place is narrow, and it is a shortway across-according to tide between one and two miles. to the low, level sandy point of land in Magilligan on the Co Derry side of the Lough.
From the earliest times Greencastle was looked upon as a coign of vantage. It was the natural and inlet of a large territory in North West Ulster. The Northmen in their fierce descents on the kingdoms neighbouring their own, came here and entering by the Foyle gate into Ulster spread havoc and bloodshed. If the Naustrian litany had the chant " A furore N ormanorium liberanos Domine", the original inhabitants of Inis Eoghan had equal cause to insert that, a same similar petition in their prayers. The Danes down on Inis Eoghan and a fortress earthern fencing remains exists between Greencastle and Moville known as Danes Fort. This fort is said to have been the last held by the Danes in Ireland. Somewhere near Greencastle it is said was fought the last important battle by the Irish under Hugh Fiamilialta, King of Ireland. 864 A.D. against the Dames who were routed.
Possibly these invasions and the recognised danger flowing from them led the Irish or their leaders to build the old castle here, about the spot where the ruins of the late castle now stands.
The first erection would probably be of clay, wood and wattles with earthern ramparts, or it may have been with stone without lime.
'Annals of the Four Masters" the year 1305: -The new Castle of Innishowen was built by the Red Earl."
Annals of Lough Cé:-The new castle of Innishowen was excted by the Red Earl in this year. Richard De Burgho was the Red Earl" The Earl built his castle on a "boldly prominent rock " near the entrance of the Foyle; the surface of the rock, all by which was covered by the Fortress is about one thousand yds. long and fifty six yds broad and the rock rises some forty five ft. from sea level. The building is inaccessible from the sea and strongly fortified on the land side
One of the towers fell many years ago and it still lies closely held together by the morter which seems to have been made from the sea shells
There is an underground passage from the Castle to an old ecclesiastical ruin situated in a field about 400 yards off.
The father of The Red Earl was Walter De Burgo who married Maud daughter heiress of Hugh De Lacy, the younger and in her right this Walter was created Earl of Ulster in 1264.
He had a large family and the married well. One of the daughters married Robert Bruce, King of Scotland.
In 1300 the Red Earl began to build the Castle of Ballymote to protect his lands in Connacht and in 1305 he built the new castle of Inis Eoghan to tighten his hold on the territory he had acquired in the north and check the chiefs O Donnell and O Neill and keep the Scots in their place.
This castle was called Northburgh Castle by the English in Ireland, for the term pale had not then come into use nor did it extend so far north.
Edward Bruce when he came to Ireland broke the power of De Burgo and took possession of Northburgh. He seems to have remained here for nearly a year, and he kept his court as King of Ireland from here.
Bruce and his brother marched on Dublin the citizens there confined the Red Earl in one of the old City Abbeys either to hold him as means of treding with Bruce or suspecting him in some way not now apparent. But soon the Scottish invasion came to an end. The armies were bound to meet in battle William De Burgo brother of the Red Earl of Ulster led the armies of the English while Edward Bruce led the Scots. The accounts given us of the final struggle at Faughart near Dundalk tell that on the day before it took place one of the English Knights made his way into Bruses camp disguised as a begging friar and came to Edward when he was engaged in his devotions. The pretended friar kept soliciting alms until Bruce looked up and so disclosed his features to the spy. Next day in the battle an English Knight singled out . S chyr Edward and after a terrible encounter slew him. So ended the brief connection of Northburgh or Greencastle with the Bruces. After Bruces death the old fortress of Iniseoghan slipped back into occupation and possession of the Earl of Ulster and we hear little of the Earl or his northern home for some time
Probably the weight of years was telling on him at all events he only survived the defeat of Bruce by eight years.
The Red Earl had a son Sir John De Burgo and he again had a son William known as the Dun or Brown Earl from the colour of his hair.
This man was in occupation and possession of Northbourgh in 1332 which was the date of a terrible tragedy, a tragedy that led to much in the subsequent history of Derry, of Inis Eoghan and indeed of Ireland.
The story briefly is this. The Earl had occasion to find fault with a relative of his, Walter De Burgo, either because he was trying to grasp estates in Connacht which did not belong to him or because he was making common cause with the O Donnells, or possibly because he was doing both. Walter was taken prisoner in a battle fought at Drumskellan in Inis Eoghan, with O'Donnell. The young man was thrown into the wide ground dungeon at Northburgh ( this dungeon can still be seen) and there starved to death.
The Late Sir Arthur Chichester who resided for a time in the house adjoining the Castle ruins had the dungeon excavated and we have seen what is described as the attachment of the prisoner's chain to the pillar in the centre of the prison.
During the period of the young man's imprisonment the Earl's daughter ( tradition says) but it must have been his sister moved in part by pity, by the fate of her wretched kinsman and in part by gratitude because he had on one occasion saved her from drowning endeavoured to carry ( the Earl) food to him but was detected in the act ; by the Earl's order ( some say by his own hand) thrown over the battlements on the rocky shore beneath and dashed to death.
We are told in the Annals of the Four Masters of the young man's starvation; but we are not told anything about the stern tragedy. of the woman's murder.
Centuries afterwards when the city of Derry received its charter and coat of arms as a grim reminder of the tragedy and a hint of the part the cruel act had in the history of the city, and of the surrounding country.
The Earl met his death at the extremely young age of twenty one years at the Fords of Belfast. He was married to Maud daughter of Henry; Earl of Lancaster. and so great-grand daughter of Henry 111;.
The Dun Earl was the last of his name who held the Earldom of Ulster or who had effective occupation of Northburgh Castle.
In the North-West of Ireland the occupation of the Anglo Normans was brief, only twenty,five years.
It was military in its character and they left . very few evidence of their presence except the Castle of Northburgh which was the centre of their influence in the district. As to Greencastle a deep silence falls upon it after 1333. A silence that is only broken after a lapse of more than two hundred years by the roar of the torturing gun brought by Mac Calin in 1555.
Calvagh O'Donnell had some outfell with his friends in Tirconail and went to Scotland to get help to fight his corner, Master Arsible and his warriors came back with Calvagh O'Donnell and roamed in Tirconail. (With)
He demolished, the Four Masters tell us, the Castle of Greencastle to prevent its being occupied by his enemies.
But he did not stop here; he brought the gun to the other side of the Foyle and planted it against the crannoge, Castle of O'Caltain in Enagh Lough, and demolished it also.
We have seen a cannon ball found on the spot of Enagh weighing thirty-two pounds which is believed to have been shot from this gun against O'Cathain's Castle.
In 1610 Greencastle was reported to be wardable and Chichester had an allowance of 4/= daily for each of ten warders, and half a- crown daily for a gunner, and eight pence each for ten warders for the Castle of Greencastle in O'Doherty's County of Inishowen.
In 1623, Greencastle, in the report of repairs of Forts is deemed fitter for. being retained as as a fort than Culmore, and in 1627, we find the Castle marked in the Map of Ulster.
That there are some families named Mac Laughlin, and O'Doherty resident at the present time is an undoubted fact; the Carey Family, who were among the earliest of the planters to settle in the district, lived, if not in the Castle itself, somewhere in the neighbourhood.
The Castle House which was occupied long ago by the Chichester family, is now in the possession of Mrs Crosbie.
The big tower of this Castle is called Bar Mór and the small one Bar Beag; These towers are still standing and the following story was told me by Joseph Wright of Greencastle-
'Three men, while walking along the road near to the Castle, saw a man standing on the top of Bar Mór. At first the man in the centre saw him and asked the other two men to look at him by they did not see him. On going farther they all looked and the two outside men saw him and the middle man did not; on going farther still none of them saw him. These men were supposed to have seen this man about four o'clock in the morning.'
The description of the Castle was given to me by Rev. R.S. Benson, B.A. Castle House, Greencastle, Co. Donegal.
There is supposed to be a crock of Gold in the Castle Ruins and a snake is supposed to guard it.
The person who finds the crock of gold will die.”
Duchas.ie
Location - Greencastle, Co. Donegal
INFORMANT - Joseph Wright
Gender - Male
INFORMANT - Rev. R. S. Benson
Gender - Male
Address - Greencastle, Co. Donegal