Massive Fireplace at Donegal Castle
I was quite impressed by the room at the first floor of Donegal Castle. Donegal Castle fell into English hands in the Flight of the Earls, where the Gaelic chiefs fled Ireland in the hope of someday assembling a sympathetic foreign force to drive out the English. This never came to pass as Spain, which the Gaelic chiefs counted on, was unwilling to help them out. In the end, they never returned to Ireland and the English stayed for a while in Ireland. Donegal Castle, fell into English hands and although it was destroyed by the departing chiefs, it was quickly rebuilt with more features added, specifically windows. It is true, this room seems so much brighter than the other rooms and it also has a long table, presumably used for dinner.
Windows at Donegal Castle
The room also has two large fireplaces, though I thought the fireplaces were a bit shallower but maybe it works for them. The fireplace itself is adorned by stone carving and it seems to be one of the centerpieces of Donegal Castle. It is nice to imagine how things were back then – having dinner here with a roaring fire to keep warm on those cold Irish nights. I suppose the room was large enough to deserve two fire places though it would have been a pain to clean them.
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