Bawn in Rahan Near

McSwyne's Castle (DG098-019-): Niall Mar McSwyne, the grand-son of the first Chief of Bannagh, died here in 1524 (Verschoyle 1958, 40). The castle was described in 1601 as McSwyne Bannagh's tower and his chief house (CSPI 1600-1, 278). After the Plantations it came into the possession of John Murrey later Earl of Annandale, and in 1622 it was described as 'A ruinous Castle Rahan . . . with a bawn of lime and stone standing on a rock compassed 3 parts thereof with the sea . . . upon one side whereof there is an ancient building for lodgings of lime and stone, and a gatehouse newly built and some part of the bawn repaired, in which house, Herbert Maxwell with his wife and family dwell' (Treadwell 1953-5, 514). It was garrisoned by Sir Ralph Gore's regiment during the rebellion in 1641. After the death of the second Earl of Annandale in 1658, a long legal battle over the estate ensued (Verschoyle 1958, 40), and the site may have been abandoned at this time. The castle was used as a quarry in the middle of the 19th century when St. Catherine's Catholic Church was being built at Killybegs, and further material was removed to build the enclosing wall of the new cemetery in Killybegs in 1872 (Conaghan [1974], 117; Conaghan 1977, 55). In 1929 the fallen jambs and lintel of the window in the S wall of the keep were rebuilt and sections of the ruin repainted, in an effort to conserve them (Verschoyle 1958, 39-40). Situated on a promontory, the site is protected by a cliff on the N, S, and W sides, and by a slope cum fosse on the E. The fosse is now almost completely obscured by grass-covered collapse, and a modern drystone wall delimits the landward side of the promontory. To the E are the footings of an outer wall. There is a concrete observation post at the W end of the promontory, and the adjoining wall and bank are probably contemporary. Much of the bawn wall which enclosed the promontory has fallen due to sea erosion. The best preserved stretch is on the N, c. 1.25m high on the exterior W end and 2.25m on the exterior E end. The lower courses of the NE corner are in situ. There is a single, dressed, battered block at the opposite SE corner with secondary masonry on top; this stone possibly indicates the limit of the E bawn wall. A 15th/16th century chamfered jamb 1.5m W of this block may have formed part of a gateway or corner tower in this position but due to the collapsed nature of the remains no coherent plan is discernible. A substantial section of bawn wall, c. 3.5m high, survives on the SW and has a gun-loop at present ground level; the wall is set back on the interior above the loop to .75m thick and there was probably a wall-walk here. It adjoins the W wall (3.75m high) of a building whose outline is traceable among the grass-covered rubble. There are the remains of a wall-press at the E end of its N wall, and it was divided into two rooms by a cross-wall. The remains of another structure, built against the N bawn wall, are represented by grass-covered stone footings. 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 certain instances the entries have been revised and updated. Date of upload: 22 September 2008