HISTORY
The Lough Eske area is closely identified with the O’Donnell’s, and the turbulent times of the Middle Ages, the Flight of the Earls and the Treaty of Mellifont. In a woodland to the northern side of the Castle, the ruins of one of the O’Donnell’s castles can be seen. They would have lived here prior to moving to Donegal Town. The Annuals of the Four Masters tells us that the earliest mention of the O’Donnell’s in Donegal Town was 1474 with both the abbey and the Castle being built around that time. The flight of the Earls from Rathmullan on the 14th of September 1607 saw the end of the O’Donnell power and it is assumed the family left that year on a small ship for Spain. On board were the chieftains of some of the leading Gaelic families of Ulster who sought refuge with England’s main enemy, in the hope of making a new life for themselves.
In 1861 the new Lough Eske Castle was built on the site of an old Brooke mansion. A date stone of 1621 with initials W.H. and I.M. remain in the Castle’s Courtyard. Mr. Brooke’s ancestors had come to own the Lough Eske property in 1717 through a marriage with the Lough Eske Knox’s. Thomas Brooke who built the castle was not a Brooke by birth but changed his name to inherit the property.
ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN
Lough Eske Castle was built in an Elizabethan style, the Architect was Mr. Fitzgibbon Louch C.E of Sackville Street, Derry, and the contractor was Mr. Albert Williams. All of the ornamental stonework came from the mines of Monaghan’s Quarry in Drimkeelan and a new road was built to transport the sandstone or freestone to Lough Eske Castle. Thomas Brooke brought two Clydesdale horses with cockney drivers from England to draw the stone.
The Brooke coat of arms stands over the door on the east and main entrances of Lough Eske Castle. The tower is an impressive part of the castle architecture and dominates the whole building and adjoining countryside. The tower held the flagstaff; and beneath the battlements all along the front of the castle were a line of finely carved gargoyles, no two alike, to throw the water off the roof through their mouths out onto the castle street. Interior Designer Ms. Maria Rice, ADI Studio, Co. Dublin created the design of the modern day hotel in 2007.
PRESENT DAY
The current Castle was built in the 1860s but due to an unfortunate fire in 1939 the Castle lay derelict for years to come. In 2006 Pat Doherty, founder of Harcourt Developments purchased Lough Eske Castle, and the property underwent an extensive restoration with over €40 million investment, welcoming guests again from 2007.