The tragic ballad of Doe Castle
Romantic Doe Castle Doe Castle is situated on a breathtakingly beautiful inlet of Sheephaven Bay in north west Donegal. It was the ancient seat of the Mac Sweeney Chiefs of Doe and has its own tragic romance and history. While Verona had Romeo and Juliet so Creeslough had its own star crossed lovers, Turlogh and Aileen. Their fateful story is told in the following song written last century by Níall Mac Giolla Brigde from Feymore, Creelsough. ~~~ Maolmurra - A Ballad of Doe Castle Wild are thy hills, O Donegal! that frowning darkly rise As if to greet the mist that falls upon them from the skies: Dark, dark thy hills, and darker still thy mountain torrents flow, Yet still more dark Maolmurra's heart in his Castle Hall at Doe. Fair are thy plains, O Donegal! and calm thy winding streams Flow gently by each hut and hall, beneath the bright sunbeams; But plain or stream, or meadow green, or flower upon the lea, Were not more mild than Maolmurra's child, so sweet and fair was she. Stout grows thy oak, O Donegal! and straight thy ashen tree, And swift and strong thy sons so tall, their country's pride to see; But oak or ash, or young men all, that sprung from Irish soil, Were not more stout, straight, swift and tall, than the chief of Clan O'Boyle. He was the pride of Faugher side, near the hills of Ballymore; For feats of strength none equaled him from Fanad to Gweedore: And he would go through frost and snow on the merry Christmas Day With ringing cheer to hunt the deer from his haunts in dark Glenveigh. And often in Doe Castle woods he'd hunt [...]