Rahan Castle

History

The McSwynes, who likely came to Ireland from the Scottish region of Argyll, are thought to have arrived in the 13th century, though some believe it was the 14th. They worked as foot soldiers and standard bearers for the O'Donnells and later fought with the O’Neills, indicating they were likely mercenaries. Around the mid-1400s, the McSwynes built their castle, and they held the land until the Plantation of Ulster. When the Scots conquered the area, the castle and land went to the victors. King James VI and I gave the property first to William Stuart and then to John Murray, who became Earl of Annandale in 1625. After John Murray died in 1640, his son James took over both the castle and the title. James had no children, so the castle passed to his cousin Robert Creighton, who changed his surname to Murray. Following the 1641 Rebellion, during Charles II’s reign, a fight over who owned the castle and lands broke out between the Creightons and another second cousin, Robert Murray of Scotland. Lengthy legal battles in England, Scotland, and Ireland ended with the Creightons losing the estate. The castle was then left empty and fell into ruin. In 1844, stone from the ruins was used to build the parish church in Killybegs, which is dedicated to the Annunciation. The Scottish Murrays could not fully prove their ownership, so they could not sell the property until the 1800s. Tenants preferred the Irish Creightons and paid their rent to David Creighton. Still, the Murrays officially owned the estate until the Irish Land Commission took it over in the 1900s.