Castletown — An Machaire Beag (tc Fathain)

Fahan Castle (site of): Mentioned in a grant to Sir John O'Doherty, the castle was partially dismantled in 1600 and seems to have been of little importance (Davies and Swan 1939, 204). In 1601 the castle was described as 'Over aginst the Ench [Inch] in O'Dogherty's country is a castle (DG038-023----) and a church (DG038-013001-), called the Fanne [Fahan], but broken down since our arrival. Here dwells the Bishop O'Galthar' (Atkinson 1905, 277). In the same year the castle building was described as 'a square tower surounded by a circular bawn' (Davies and Swan 1939, 204). In 1939 Davies and Swan suggested that Fahan Castle site may have been located in a field close to Castletown Cottage (DG038-020----). Castletown House which is 400m S of Castletown Cottage is the more liklely location for the siting of the medieval castle (DG038-023----) and bawn (DG028-023001-). According to the landowner around 40 years ago when making an addition to Castletown House, a vault or arches were discovered adjoining the N wall of the house. On knocking these, the head of a single-light ogee-headed window was found among the rubble. It is partly damaged and has sunken spandrels; the whole is punch dressed in 16th century fashion. It is chamfered at the rear and has a bar hole in the top of the block; it may have been re-used as a door jamb. This medieval architectural fragment may formed part of a window belonging to the medieval castle of Fahan. The vaults or arches could have been the remains of the barrel vaulted roof over the ground floor of the castle. Pre-development testing was carried out by Richard Crumlish under licence No. 07E0332 on 4 May 2007 at a site in advance of a planning application for the erection of a cow house, milking parlour, manure separator and associated works at Magherabeg, Fahan, Co. Donegal. The site was located within the archaeological constraint for the site of a castle. The monument was supposedly located in a field close to Castletown Cottage, a short distance north of the proposed development. During works in the 1940s to extend ‘Castletown’, the dwelling adjacent to the west of the proposed development, a vault or arches were discovered adjoining the north wall of the dwelling. When these were knocked down, the head of a single-light ogee-headed window was found among the rubble. This architectural fragment as well as a bullaun stone (DG038–024----) were both visible in the adjacent farmyard. Testing consisted of the excavation of five trenches, which measured 13.9m, 20.9m, 29.2m, 13.7m and 25.4m long respectively, 0.85–1.3m wide and 0.35–0.8m deep. Below the topsoil were firm grey clay, grey/orange plastic clay and grey/orange loose loamy sand. The topsoil contained modern pottery sherds. A modern water service and a number of ceramic land drains were visible in the trenches. The testing revealed natural undisturbed stratigraphy and nothing of archaeological significance (Bennett 2010, 80). The above description was derived from the 'Archaeological Survey of County Donegal. A description of the field antiquities of the County from the Mesolithic Period to the 17th century.' Compiled by: Brian Lacey with Eamon Cody, Claire Cotter, Judy Cuppage, Noel Dunne, Vincent Hurley, Celie O'Rahilly, Paul Walsh and Seán Ó Nualláin (Lifford: Donegal County Council, 1983). In this instance the entry has been been revised and updated. Compiled by, Caimin O'Brien Date of upload/revision: 18 November 2011