What is recorded here

Forty stone and timber houses clustered around Rathmullan castle by the middle of the seventeenth century, forming a compact Donegal settlement where Britons lived beneath thatched roofs. The town was not a empty plot or forgotten name but a working neighbourhood with walls, hearths and streets close enough to touch the castle shadow. Much of the present centre still occupies that same footprint, carrying forward the shape of a place that was already alive when plantation surveys first measured it.

The historic settlement of Rathmullan had grown to over forty houses by the middle of the seventeenth century (Hunter 1981, 62). The seventeenth century plantation of Donegal records the existence of stopne and timber houses forming the historic town of Rathmullan which were located close to the castle of Rathmullan (DG003-007002-). The town is described as 'Near unto this house (DG037-007002-) there is a village erected, consisting of 15 stone houses and 30 timber houses and cabins, thatched, inhabited with Britons' (Treadwell 1954-5, 42). The present street plan and houses in the centre and E quadrant of Rathmullan are probably built on the footprint of the seventeenth century plantation town of Rathmullan. Hunter , R. J. 1981 'Ulster Plantation Towns 1609-41', in Harkness, D. & O'Dowd, M. (eds.) The Town in Ireland. Treadwell, V. W. 1954-5 'The Plantation of Donegal - A Survey', Donegal Annual, 42. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload/revision: : 08 September 2010

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