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DON
ing the Psalter of Columbkill, said to be written by the
saint himself. Another, consisting of a flag-stone raised
18 inches from the ground on other stones, perfectly-
circular and regularly indented with holes half an inch,
deep and one inch in diameter, is in the deer-park of
Castleforward. The ruins of seven religious houses
still visible out of 41 are those of Astrath near Bally-
shannon, Bally Mac Swiney, Donegal, Kilmacrenan,
Lough Derg, Tory island, and Rathmullen. The principal
castles yet remaining, wholly or in part, are Kilbarron,
Killybegs, Donegal, Castle Mac Swiney, Dungloe, Bally-
shannon, Fort Stewart, Bart, Doe and Green castle at
the mouth of Lough Foyle. The modern seats, which
are neither numerous nor peculiarly ornamental, are
noticed in the accounts of their respective parishes. The
farm-houses are comfortable, but defective in cleanliness.
The cabins of the peasantry, especially near the coast,
are wretched and extremely filthy, the cattle and swine
generally associating with the family, a custom also
observable at times in the champaign country. The
fuel is turf: the food, potatoes, oaten bread, and fish.
with some milk and butter; the clothing mostly frieze,
though articles of cotton are common, especially for
the women’s wear. The English language, pronounced
with a Scotch accent, is general in the flat country, but
in the mountain region it is little spoken. The most
extraordinary natural curiosity is a perpendicular orifice
in one of the cliffs projecting over the sea near Dunfa-
naghy, which in certain states of the tide throws up a
large jet of water with a tremendous noise: it is called
Mac Swiney’s Gun. Not far from Bundoran is a similar
orifice, called the Fairy Gun, from which a perpetual
mist issues in stormy weather, accompanied by a chaunt-
ing sound observable at a great distance. Near Brown
hall is a subterraneous river with numerous caves, the
water of which possesses a petrifying quality: reeds
and pieces of boughs are very soon encrusted with the
calcareous matter, and large deposits of sulphur are
found on the banks. Natural caves are found on the
shores near Bundoran, and numerous others in various
parts. In Drumkellin bog, in Inver parish, a wooden
house was found perfectly framed and fitted together,
having a flat roof: its top was 16 feet below the pre-
sent surface of the bog.
DONEGAL, a sea-port, market and post-town, and
parish (formerly an incorporated parliamentary borough),
in the barony of TYRHUGH, county of DONEGAL, and
province of ULSTER, 24 miles (S. W.) from Lifford, and
113 (N. W.) from Dublin; containing 6260 inhabitants,
of which number, 830 are in the town. In 1150 Mur-
togh O’Loghlen burnt this town and devastated the sur-
rounding country. A castle was built here by the
O’Donells about the 12th century; and a monastery
for Franciscan friars of the Observantine order was
founded in 1474, by Hugh Roe, son of O’Donell, Prince
of Tyrconnell, and by his wife, Fiongala, daughter of
O’Brien, Prince of Thomond. O’Donell, in 1587, bade
defiance to the English government and refused to admit
any sheriff into his district. The council at Dublin not
having sufficient troops to compel his submission, Sir
John Perrot, lord-deputy, proposed either to entrap him
or his son. He accomplished his object by sending a ship
freighted with Spanish wines to Donegal, the captain of
which entertained all who would partake of his liberality.
Young O’Donell and two of his companions accepted
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DON
his invitation, and when intoxicated were made prison-
ers and conveyed to Dublin as hostages for the chief of
Tyrconnell. After remaining a prisoner in the castle for
a considerable time, he, in company with several other
hostages, effected his escape and returned to Donegal,
where he was invested with the chieftaincy of Tyrcon-
nell, and married a daughter of O’Nial, chief of Tyrone.
In 1592, an English force under Captains Willis and
Convill took possession of the convent and the sur-
rounding country, but were quickly expelled by the
young Hugh Roe O’Donell, with the loss of their bag-
gage. In 1600, O’Nial met O’Donell and the Spanish
emissary, Oviedo, here, on the arrival of supplies from
Spain at Killybegs, to concert the plan of a rebellion.
Shortly after this, the English, taking advantage of
O’Donell’s absence in Connaught, marched a strong
party to Donegal, and took possession of the monastery,
which was unsuccessfully assaulted by O’Donell; and
the debarkation of the Spaniards at Kinsale, about
this time, occasioned him to go to their assistance,
leaving the English in undisturbed possession. La
1631, the annals of Donegal, generally called the
“Annals of the Four Masters,” were compiled in the
convent: the original of the first part of this work is in
the Duke of Buckingham’s library at Stowe, and of the
second in the collection of the Royal Irish Academy;
part of these interesting annals have been published by
Dr. O’Conor, under the title of “Rerun Hibernicarum
Scriptores.” The castle was taken, in 1651, by the Mar-
quess of Clanricarde, who was, however, soon obliged to
surrender it to a superior force. On the 15th of October,
1798, a French frigate of 30 guns anchored close to the
town, and two more appeared in the bay; but the
militia and inhabitants of the town and neighbourhood
showing a determination to resist a landing, they left the
harbour.
The town is pleasantly situated at the mouth of the
river Esk, and consists of three streets, comprising 150
houses, and a large triangular market-place. The mar-
ket is held on Saturday; and fairs on the 2nd Friday
in each month. Here is a constabulary police station.
The harbour is formed by a pool on the east side of the
peninsula of Durin, where, at the distance of two miles
below the town, small vessels may ride in two or three
fathoms of water, about half a cable’s length from the
shore. There is a good herring fishery in the bay, in
summer. The borough was incorporated by a charter of
Jas. I., dated Feb. 27th, 1612, in pursuance of the plan of
forming a new plantation in Ulster. The corporation
consisted of a portreeve, twelve free burgesses, and an
unlimited number of freemen; and the charter created
a borough court, of which the portreeve was president,
but it has long since been disused. From its incorpo-
ration till the Union the borough returned two members
to the Irish Parliament, and on the abolition of its fran-
chise, £15,000 was paid as compensation to the Earl of
Arran and Viscount Dudley. Since that period the
corporation has ceased to exist. By a grant to Henry
Brook, in 1639, a manor was erected, comprehending
the town of Donegal, with a court leet and a court
baron, to be held before a seneschal appointed by the
patentee, having a civil jurisdiction to the extent of 40s.
The manorial court is still held monthly, on Mondays,
except during the summer: petty sessions are held
every alternate week; and the general quarter sessions