What is recorded here

The Black Castle was a narrow, roofed guard post at a western gateway, drawing fire while the main castle held inside. It vanished without a marked ruin, leaving only a drawn line and a siege memory behind.

An 1853 sketch of an original ‘Plan of the Castle of Ballyshannon, with its Outworks, in 1650’ - depicting a siege during the Confederate War (1641-53) – shows ‘The Black Castle’ defending a gateway on the W side of one of the outworks of a bastioned fort (KD032-003001-), which enclosed Ballyshannon Castle (KD032-003002-). The Black Castle is depicted as a narrow rectangular, roofed, structure, possibly a towerhouse. (Fitzgerald 1899-1902, 447) While it is shown to the NW of a church (KD028-058002-), no visible surface trace survives and its precise location is unknown. Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy Date of upload: 22 May 2013

The Black Castle in Ballyshannon was likely built in the late 16th or early 17th century by the O'Donnell clan, Gaelic lords of Tyrconnell, to control a strategic crossing point on the River Erne. It is remembered for its role in the Confederate Wars, particularly its defense during the 1650 siege, reflecting the broader struggles between Irish confederates and English forces during the 17th century.

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