DUNBOY CASTLE
Caisleán Dhún Baoi
Castletownberehaven, County Cork

From the 14th to the 17th century, Dunboy Castle was the main stronghold of the O'Sullivan Bere clan, led by Donal Cam O'Sullivan Bere (1561-1613), who was known as the Last Prince of Ireland. Donal was the last independent ruler in the west of Ireland in the 17th century, at a time when the English were again attempting to secure their rule over Ireland. The last great siege across Ireland came at the hands of Oliver Cromwell from 1649-50, but the O'Sullivan's were able to maintain their rule once Cromwell's armies left the country.

There are actually two castles on the Dunboy Estate, and for this discussion we'll refer to the main castle, which is located at the tip of the inlet--Dunboy Castle. The other castle is a much smaller tower keep and is discussed in relation to Puxley Manor, which is further up the harbour.

Dunboy Castle was originally built to defend Berehaven Harbour. The location also enabled the O'Sullivan Bere clan to control the Irish coast, and to collect sizable taxes from Continental vessels fishing along the Irish coast and using the harbour for shelter. This harbour was a center for imports and exports in the southwest of Ireland from mainland Europe and Great Britain and remains so today. The nearby town of Castletownberehaven, aka Castletownbere (Baile Chaisleáin Bhéarra), is still one of Ireland's most active fishing ports.

1602 was the end of the Nine Years War in Ireland. The Siege of Dunboy, preceded by the nearby Battle of Kinsale, was a huge turning point in Irish history. During this war, Donal Cam O'Sullivan Bere was joined by other Irish clans to take up arms against Elizabeth I and the English crown. Irish troops were aided by Spain's King Philip III who'd sent an army to Kinsale under the command of Don Juan del Aguila in 1601. Elizabeth sent 5000 troops into Ireland under the command of Sir George Carew, appointed Lord President of Munster, to suppress the Irish insurgents and continued the battle at Dunboy after Aquila surrendered Kinsale to Elizabeth's army.
.

Donal left 143 of his best men (some records say 183 men) in the Dunboy garrison and returned to Dursey Island where the O'Sullivan families resided. In charge at Dunboy were Captain Richard MacGeoghegan and Friar Domenic Collins.

Dunboy Castle was thought to be impregnable, but Carew had allied with Owen O'Sullivan of Carrignass, an O'Sullivan cousin, who told him of Dunboy's weaknesses. Carew returned to Dunboy and stepped up his attacks. Following a violent barrage of artillery that lasted ten days, the walls of Dunboy finally crumbled.

The O'Sullivan's were faced with overwhelming odds, so after giving his letter of surrender to his Captain, MacGeoghegan, Donal set out with 1000 men, women and children for the North where they expected to receive relief from allies, including the famous O'Neill's, Earls of Tyrone. This journey became known as O'Sullivan's March.

MacGeoghegan tried to negotiate a surrender with Carew by sending a messenger with the terms set out by the fleeing O'Sullivan family. Carew was unresponsive. Realizing his fate and the fate of his troops, MacGeoghegan attempted to ignite the powder stores in the castle cellar, but he was captured by Captain Power and was drawn and quartered. Of the 58 garrison survivors, all but three were executed in the market square in Castletownbere village.

Of the remaining three, one of whom was Fr Domenic Collins, two were hanged for failing to give information under torture. Fr Collins was taken to an English garrison in Youghal where he was further tortured then hung after holding firm and failing to talk.

It was after a 13 day battle that saw the ultimate destruction of Dunboy Castle and the beginning of the downfall of O'Sullivan Bere power. But it didn't come without a price. Once Dunboy fell, the O'Sullivan campaign raged all around West Cork with the English taking at least six more castles. The siege continued while some of the English troops were deployed to Dursey Island in search of the O'Sullivan's. When they couldn't be found amongst the island's residents, O'Sullivan's men were gathered into the church and burned, and the women and children thrown from the cliffs into the sea.

Meanwhile the O'Sullivan's journey north took place in the dead of winter. They were plagued between ongoing battles with a pursuing army, starvation and winter temperatures. 1602 was the beginning of a period in history was known as the Little Ice Age in Europe, so temperatures were much colder than they are today during the same time. By the time the O'Sullivan group reached Leitrim only 35 remained. Many perished due to exposure and hunger. And some had settled in villages along the route. Those people are known today as the Bere's.

In Leitrim, the O'Rourke's took in the O'Sullivan's. Donal sought to join his remaining troops with the O'Rourke's, with plans to organize a force to continue the fight with the English. However, when the Earl of Tyrone, Hugh O'Neill, sued for peace and swore an oath of loyalty to the crown, the battle was ended. Donal was enraged that his ally so easily acquiesced to England's demands, so he fled to Spain and was welcomed by his friend King Philip III. Philip confirmed Donal's status as a Prince of Ireland and received a commission as an imperial general in the Spanish army.

In 1613, Donal's tumultuous life finally came to an end. As he was exiting mass, a young Englishman who'd been disfigured in a duel with Donal's son, took Donal's life. He was 52.

Note: Today tourists can visit Dursey Island via Ireland's only cable car, which was opened in 1969 and licensed to carry three people and a cow. While locals were largely skeptical, they were accepting. However one doubting Thomas dismissed the project as a "tin-can hanging from telephone wires" and said he'd prefer to die in his bed.