Doonagore Castle
Doonagore Castle is a round 14th-century tower house with a small walled enclosure located on the outskirts of the small, coastal town of Doolin in County Clare, Ireland. It is also called "the fort of the rounded hills" or the "fort of the goats," and sits on a high hill overlooking Doolin and, along with a nearby radio mast, is used as a navigational point by boats approaching Doolin Pier. Doonagore Castle is presently a private residence, inaccessible to the public.
The castle was built by Teigue MacTurlough MacCon O'Connor from stone drawn from the quarry of Tra Leachain some time during the 1300s, though some sources date the castle to the subsequent 15th century. It was granted to Sir Turlough O'Brien of Ennistymon (a neighboring town of Doolin) in 1582. In 1588, during the retreat of the Spanish Armada from its failed attempt to invade England, 170 survivors of a Spanish shipwreck were caught by the high sheriff of County Clare, Boetius MacClancy, and were hanged at Doonagore Castle and buried in a barrow outside of Doolin.
Doonagore Castle was repaired in the early 1800s, but by the middle of that century had again deteriorated in the care of the Nagle family. It was restored again in the 1970s by a private purchaser who currently resides there.