Portnablagh (, meaning, depending on translation, either 'Port of the Flowers' or 'Harbour of the Buttermilk', possibly from the rough seas in the area) is a small village in County Donegal, Ireland. Portnablagh (also written in English as ''Port-na-Blagh'') is located on the north-west coast of County Donegal, specifically the west side of

Sheephaven Bay Sheephaven Bay ( ga, Cuan na gCaorach) is a broad, shallow inlet on the north coast of County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland. Bounded by the peninsulae of Rosguill, to the east and Horn Head ( ga, Corrán Binne) to the west, the bay is relativ ...

. It is on the N56 road. ''Discovery Series'' Sheet 2 (4th Edition). Ordnance Survey of Ireland (O.S.I.), Dublin, 2012. Portnablagh, along with neighbouring Dunfanaghy, is known for its beaches and harbour. It attracts large numbers of tourists, mostly from the rest of Ulster, every summer. The small harbour is protected on 3 sides and has a relatively short slipway which is used by fishing and pleasure boat owners, particularly during summer months. It provides access for boat owners to beaches in Sheephaven Bay, many of which are only accessible on foot or by sea.

Faugher House

On the south-eastern edge of Portnablagh, between

Ards Forest Park Ards Forest Park is a park in County Donegal, Ireland. History and Location The forest park is situated on the small Ards Peninsula. It sits on the shores of Sheephaven Bay on the northern coastline of County Donegal, Ireland. It's to be foun ...

and Portnablagh itself, lie the ruins of Faugher House, also known as O'Boyle's Castle or Wray's Castle. This small fortified house and its surrounding

bawn A bawn is the defensive wall surrounding an Irish tower house. It is the anglicised version of the Irish word ''bábhún'' (sometimes spelt ''badhún''), possibly meaning "cattle-stronghold" or "cattle-enclosure".See alternative traditional spe ...

, located in the townland of Faugher, were built during the

Plantation of Ulster 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 sett ...

, and may have been built in stages throughout the seventeenth century. Faugher Townland, Co. Donegal. https://www.townlands.ie/donegal/kilmacrenan/clondahorky/ards/faugher/ The original 'castle' or fortified house on this site was probably built for Toirdhealbhach Ruadh Ó Baoighill (sometimes anglicised as Turlough Roe O'Boyle or Tirlagh Roe O'Boyle) about 1611, shortly after he was granted land in the vicinity during the Plantation of Ulster. Fergus Gillespie (Fergus Mac Giolla Easpaig), 'Gaelic Families of County Donegal', in William Nolan, Liam Ronayne and Mairead Dunlevy (Editors), ''Donegal: History and Society'', pp. 790–791. Geography Publications, Templeogue, Dublin, 1995 (reprinted 2002). Ó Baoighill and his family were originally from Kiltooris Castle, near both Portnoo and Narin in the south-west of County Donegal.Tomás G. Ó Canann, 'A Historical Note on Baile Uí Chanann', in Seán Beattie (Editor), ''Donegal Annual'' Number 69, pp. 25–26. The County Donegal Historical Society, Ballyshannon, 2017. The surviving

on the site probably dates from this time, very early in the Plantation of Ulster. However, the surviving ' Plantation-era' fortified house (now ruined) may have been built in the second half of the seventeenth century, possibly for the Wray family. The building was probably abandoned by the mid-eighteenth century. The rather ' Scottish-style' ruin is beside 'the Middle Road', a sideroad leading to Breaghy Head, just off the N56, the main Letterkenny to Dunfanaghy road. The site is privately owned and is not open to the public.

References

{{County Donegal Beaches of County Donegal Towns and villages in County Donegal

Faugher House

See also

References