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 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 ...

, 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 relatively p ...

. It is on the N56

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

. ''Discovery Series'' Sheet 2 (4th Edition).

Ordnance Survey of Ireland Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSI; ga, Suirbhéireacht Ordanáis Éireann) is the national mapping agency of Ireland. It was established on 4 March 2002 as a body corporate. It is the successor to the former Ordnance Survey of Ireland. It and th ...

(O.S.I.),

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

, 2012. Portnablagh, along with neighbouring

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 ...

, is known for its beaches and harbour. It attracts large numbers of tourists, mostly from the rest of

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 ...

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

fortified house A fortified house or fortified mansion is a type of building which developed in Europe during the Middle Ages, generally with significant fortifications added. United States In the United States, historically a fortified house was often calle ...

and its surrounding bawn, located in the

townland A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic orig ...

of Faugher, were built during the Plantation of Ulster, 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 Templeogue () is a southwestern suburb of Dublin in Ireland. It lies between the River Poddle and River Dodder, and is about halfway from Dublin's centre to the mountains to the south. Geography Location The centre of Templeogue is from b ...

, 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 Ballyshannon () is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is located at the southern end of the county where the N3 from Dublin ends and the N15 crosses the River Erne. Incorporated in 1613, it is one of the oldest towns in Ireland. Location B ...

, 2017. The surviving bawn on the site probably dates from this time, very early in the Plantation of Ulster. However, the surviving '

Plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

-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 Letterkenny ( ga, Leitir Ceanainn , meaning 'hillside of the O'Cannons'), nicknamed 'the Cathedral Town', is the largest and most populous town in County Donegal, a county in Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. Letterkenny lies on the R ...

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