Doon Hill
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Doon Hill (Irish: Cnoc an Dúin, meaning "hill of the fort")[1] is a volcanic plug in the townland of Bunowen More, in the barony of Ballynahinch, near Ballyconneely in County Galway, Ireland.[2] The hill, which is 67 m high, is a prominent landscape feature on the Errismore peninsula.[2] Fishermen use Doon Hill as a landmark to guide them into Bunowen Pier at Aillebrack.[citation needed] The Irish name for the hill, dún, means "fortress", possibly indicating an earlier fort on top of the hill.
At the top of Doon Hill are the ruins of a Napoleonic era signal tower (dating to c. 1806) and a concrete watch post dating from the period of The Emergency (WWII).[3]
Nearby Bunowen Castle was built in the mid 1700s.[4] Built on lands originally associated the O'Flaherty family,[5] following the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, the lands at Bunowen were "transplanted" to Art Geoghegan, a landowner from County Westmeath.[6][7] The Geoghegan family rebuilt and extended the original O'Flaherty castle, and remained in the castle until the mid-19th century.[citation needed] The castle was purchased by the Blake family in 1852, for use as a summer home.[5] The castle, now in ruin, is owned by the McDonagh family.[citation needed] Near the castle are the ruins of a medieval church, a cemetery and a garden.[citation needed]
References[edit]
- ^ "Cnoc an Dúin / Doon Hill". logainm.ie. Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ a b "Galway - County Geological Site Report - Doon Hill" (PDF). gsi.geodata.gov.ie. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ "Bunowen Hill Signal Station, County Galway". Irish Signal Stations. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ "Bunowen Castle, Bunowen More, Galway". buildingsofireland.ie. National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ a b "Bunowen Castle". landedestates.ie. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ Lynam, E. W. (June 1914). "The O'Flaherty Country". An Irish Quarterly Review. 3 (10): 13–40. JSTOR 30092464.
In 1656, the Castle of Bunowen and 900 acres were granted to Art Geoghegan, a transplanter from Westmeath, and his family held it for 200 years
- ^ "The Ferocious O'Flahertys". theirishaesthete.com. 2016.
53°24′54″N 10°06′55″W / 53.4149°N 10.1152°W
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