County Donegal castle sells for an undisclosed fee
O'Doherty's Keep sits on the banks of the River Crana
At a glance
The Keep in Buncrana comes with a third of an acre of land
It is one of the few O'Doherty castles that remain in Donegal
The auction generated interest from across Ireland and internationally
- Published
The remains of a centuries-old Irish castle once owned by Gaelic chieftain has been sold at auction for an undisclosed fee.
O'Doherty's Keep in Buncrana, County Donegal, complete with third of an acre of land, had a reserve price of €175,000 (£149,650).
It has links to 17th Century rebellion and to United Irishman Wolfe Tone.
Auctioneer Dara Furey said it's been bought by a private buyer from Londonderry in Northern Ireland.
The keep's history is steeped in rebellion
Built in the 14th Century, the fortified tower house belonged to the O'Doherty clan, lords of the Inishowen peninsula from the 1300s to the early 1600s.
It was part of a network of defensive buildings around the peninsula and one of the last remaining of the O'Doherty castles in Inishowen.
Although privately owned, the keep has national monument status and the protection of the Irish state.
The keep was burned by Crown Forces in 1608 after Cahir O'Doherty had rebelled against the English and led an attack on nearby Derry.
Following his death, the keep was granted to Sir Arthur Chichester - the architect of the Ulster Plantation - who leased it to Henry Vaughan.
His family occupied the building until 1718 when they built their manor house Buncrana Castle using materials from the wall surrounding the keep.
It was there that Wolfe Tone - the leader of the 1798 Irish Rebellion - was held following his capture by the British.
The keep has national monument status and is therefore protected by the Irish state
Situated in Buncrana's Swan Park, the keep - which is intact externally but is roofless - is one of the town's most recognisable landmarks.
Mr Furey told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today ahead of Thursday's auction, that the keep was the "founding point" of the town of Buncrana.
"It's a niche market - for a niche market you never have a huge amount of bidders - but anybody who does come tend to be quite serious," he said.
The former owners wanted the keep to have "new guardians"
Fixing a reserve price, he added, had proved challenging.
"One method a valuer uses for valuation is called a comparable method, so if you have comparable sales for similar types of things you value based on that.
"There are no comparable sales for this," he said.
"There is a view in some circles it is a priceless artefact, at any price it would be cheap.
"My view is that at this type of price, for what you are buying, and if the right person is buying, then they are writing themselves into history."
The former owners, he added, wanted to pass the keep on to "new guardians" and hoped it would be restored into a visitor attraction.