Derry Guildhall Tercentenary Window of The Honourable The Irish Society Left Side Window Detail Burt Castle 2019 08 29

Burt Castle is a ruined

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

located close to

Newtowncunningham Newtown Cunningham, usually spelled Newtowncunningham or abbreviated to Newton (), is a village and townland in the Laggan district in the east of County Donegal, Ireland, located on the N13 road east of Letterkenny and west of Derry. At the 2 ...

and Burt, two villages in the east of

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconn ...

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label=Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. Historically it was sometimes spelt as Birt Castle. It is also known by the name O'Doherty's Castle, and should not be mistaken for O'Doherty's Keep near Buncrana. The castle was constructed in the sixteenth century during the reign of

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disagr ...

. It was a traditional stronghold of the O'Doherty's, protecting the southern edge of their

Inishowen Inishowen () is a peninsula in the north of County Donegal in Ireland. Inishowen is the largest peninsula on the island of Ireland. The Inishowen peninsula includes Ireland's most northerly point, Malin Head. The Grianan of Aileach, a ringf ...

Lordship. The design of the castle was strongly influenced by contemporary Z-Plan Scottish fortifications, and anticipated the style of buildings constructed during the

Ulster Plantation The Plantation of Ulster ( gle, Plandáil Uladh; Ulster-Scots: ''Plantin o Ulstèr'') was the organised colonisation ('' plantation'') of Ulstera province of Irelandby people from Great Britain during the reign of King James I. Most of the set ...

of the following century. During a disputed succession in 1600, the Crown's Governor of

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. Th ...

, Sir Henry Docwra, backed the successful candidate, the fifteen-year-old Sir Cahir O'Doherty. O'Doherty wished to break free of the overlordship of Red Hugh O'Donnell and fought on the Crown's side during the Nine Years' War and was knighted for his bravery. Burt Castle was a vital post because it controlled a strategic area, allowing Docwra to bring in food supplies and to open up an offensive again O'Donnell. A garrison of a hundred men under Captain John Vaughan were stationed there. Following the war O'Doherty continued in his loyalty to the Crown but in 1608, after a dispute with the new Governor of Derry, O'Doherty rose in revolt with the castle as his headquarters. The Burning of Derry in April triggered what became known as O'Doherty's Rebellion. In response the Dublin authorities sent troops to overrun O'Doherty's Inishowen heartlands. After a siege they captured Burt Castle and freed the prisoners taken at Derry who were being held there. Shortly afterwards O'Doherty was killed at the Battle of Kilmacrennan and the rebellion collapsed. During the Williamite War, the castle was the site of a skirmish between

Jacobite Jacobite means follower of Jacob or James. Jacobite may refer to: Religion * Jacobites, followers of Saint Jacob Baradaeus (died 578). Churches in the Jacobite tradition and sometimes called Jacobite include: ** Syriac Orthodox Church, sometimes ...

forces and troops under the overall command of General Percy Kirke who were supporting William III.

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* * * * * {{Historic Irish houses Castles in County Donegal