Dunfanaghy - Horses in Sheephaven Bay - geograph

Sheephaven Bay or Sheep Haven () is a broad, shallow inlet on the north coast of

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...

, Ireland. Bounded by the peninsulas of Rosguill to the east and Horn Head () to the west, the bay is relatively protected from the full force of the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

, and has supported a large

herring Herring are various species of forage fish, belonging to the Order (biology), order Clupeiformes. Herring often move in large Shoaling and schooling, schools around fishing banks and near the coast, found particularly in shallow, temperate wate ...

fleet.

Etymology

The Irish name may be a recent translation of the English name to Irish. Some older maps say "Ship Haven", with Irish translation , but this is considered incorrect.

Doe Castle

Sheephaven Bay is home to

Doe Castle Doe Castle, or Caisleán na dTuath, near Creeslough, County Donegal, was the historical stronghold of Clan tSuibhne (Clan McSweeney), with architectural parallels to the Scottish tower house. Built in the early 15th century, it is one of the b ...

, located near

Creeslough Creeslough ( , locally ; ) is a village in County Donegal, Ireland, south of Dunfanaghy on the N56 road (Ireland), N56 road. It overlooks an arm of Sheephaven Bay, with the population of the surrounding area engaged mainly in agriculture, mo ...

, which was built in the early 16th century. The castle, which still stands, was a stronghold for the Clan Sweeney ( Clan Suibhne) for 200 years.

Settlements around the bay

Carrigart Carraig Airt (anglicised as Carrigart or Carrickart) is a small Gaeltacht village in the barony of Kilmacrenan in the north of County Donegal, Ireland. The village is on the R245 route between Letterkenny and Creeslough. Situated as it is at ...

Downings Downings or Downies () is a ''Gaeltacht'' village and townland on the Rosguill peninsula in County Donegal, Ireland. The village is on the shores of Sheephaven Bay on the north coast of Ireland. Name As the village is in a ''Gaeltacht'' distric ...

Dunfanaghy Dunfanaghy () is a small town, former fishing port, and commercial centre on the north coast of County Donegal, Ireland. It lies on Donegal's North West coast, specifically the west side of Sheephaven Bay, on the N56 road (the West Donegal Coas ...

* Horn Head * Marble Hill * Portnablagh

References

Bays of County Donegal {{Donegal-geo-stub