Doon Castle () was a fortified dwelling situated on a hill in the
townland of the same name, in the parish of
Aughagower
Aughagower or Aghagower () is a small village in rural County Mayo in western Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is 6 km south-east of Westport, County Mayo, Westport. Aughagower has around forty houses, a pub and a shop, with a clear view of ...
, approximately four miles from
Westport in
County Mayo
County Mayo (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, County Mayo, Mayo, now ge ...
.
History
In 1133,
Cormac MacCarthy Cormac McCarthy was an American author (1933–2023).
Cormac McCarthy also may refer to:
* Other Americans:
** Cormac McCarthy (musician) (born c. 1950)
* Line of and from ancient Irish leaders:
** Cormac mac Airt (fl. 2nd, 3rd, or 4th cen.)
** Co ...
and
Conor O'Brien invaded
Connaught
Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms ( Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine ...
and plundered much of the country, destroying Dún Mughdhord (Doon Castle) and
Dunmore Dunmore from the or , meaning "great fort", may refer to:
People
* Dunmore (surname)
* Earl of Dunmore, a title in the Peerage of Scotland, includes a list of earls
* Countess of Dunmore (disambiguation), a list of wives of earls of Dunmore
Pl ...
.
The Norman castle of Doon appears to have been built on the site of the old Irish Dún Mughdhord,
[Aughagower by John Keville, Cathair na Mart Vol. 3 (Journal of Westport Historical Society)] The castle has almost disappeared.
in the townland of Dooncastle.
According to local accounts, the stones of the castle were used by Lord Sligo in the building of Westport House.
According to Knox, the MacPhilbins held the castles of Ayle and Aghle and Doon in the
Barony of Burrishoole and Bellabourke and the New Castle near
Castlebar
Castlebar () is the county town of County Mayo, Ireland. Developing around a 13th-century castle of the de Barry family, from which the town got its name, the town now acts as a social and economic focal point for the surrounding hinterland. Wi ...
in the
Barony of Carra.
[The history of the County of Mayo to the close of the Sixteenth Centuryz, by Hubert Thomas Knox, 1908 - pg. 301]
Situation
The castle is on a hill 150 feet in height and gave excellent views to the northeast to Islandeady and Aille, where the other McPhilpin castles were.
The space on the hill is in the shape of an ellipse 40-60 yards x 20 yards.
The castle was rectangular and measured about 40 feet x 27 feet.
The space between the main castle and the outer fortifications was not great.
References
Castles in County Mayo
{{Mayo-geo-stub