Doe Castle via Ardara and Bunbeg Beach.

Monday 10th June 2024.

Our first planned stop this morning was a distillery in Ardara a pleasant small town with lots of pubs and tweed shops. The road to the distillery from town was closed due to road works so we had to park in the town car park and walk approx half a mile there.

We were amused to find out from the chap who served us that the distillery was owned and run by his family making gin and whiskey but they were English from the south of England. We of course purchased a bottle of whiskey which we will savour at some point.

One of the places we were determined to visit on this trip was Bunbeg Beach which is a vast expanse of sand surrounded by coves, rock pools and streams. One of the biggest draw is Bad Eddie Shipwreck, a fishing boat bought by a local fisherman Eddie Gillespie who had it towed ashore in 1977 to repair it. The repairs never took place and the boat has been disintegrating more and more since.

We are stopping tonight as guests of the owners of Doe Castle, well in their car park free of charge😊

Doe Castle to use its anglicised version of its name stands on the shore of Sheephaven Bay, the tower is believed to have been built in the 1420’s and the rest in the 1620’s. It was a stronghold of the MacSweeney Clan for almost 200 years but has passed through different ownership on several occasions since them.

It’s free to enter and wander around but there is no access to the walls or the tower unless it is part of an organised tour.

The entrance gates are closed and locked late afternoon and we sought permission from the caretaker to stay the night. We were the only vehicle there but at about 6 pm the car park which is at the end of a very narrow lane suddenly became rammed with cars, one of which had loud speakers on its roof. The caretaker explained to Michelle that the winning candidate for MP in the elections that finished yesterday traditionally went from Doe Castle to be sworn in as the successful candidate. He and his supporters eventually left in a long cavalcade of cars.