Historic & Cultural Enniscrone

The first recorded reference to Enniscrone dates back to the 11th Century. The parish, known as Kilglass, extended far beyond the boundary of Enniscrone town itself, encompassing much of the surrounding hinterland. This region around Enniscrone was the centre of power of the principal clan from this part of Ireland – the O’Dowd’s. They were a maritime power of considerable ability in the 12th and 13th centuries.

Enniscrone displays a host of archaeological remains, which reveals its rich heritage extending from the megalithic age. The oldest recorded artefacts in the area are the scattered ruins of two possible passage tombs, dating from approximately 2500 BC, which are sited on a hill west of the castle.

Ancient ring forts, souterrains and stone formations are also evidence of the cultural heritage of Enniscrone and indicate a long settlement history.

Enniscrone Castle

The ruins of Enniscrone Castle lie in an elevated position to the north east of the town in the open space area known as Castle Field. Enniscrone Castle, also known as Nolan’s Castle, is an example of an early 17th century semi-fortified house. This was built  mainly for reasons relating to comfortable living standards, rather than for defence purposes. The western towers survive intact, but two other towers have been destroyed since the last century.

Valentine's Church

Valentine's Church, located in close proximity to Enniscrone Castle, is named after Rev. Thomas Valentine, who became rector here in 1712. The existing church seems to have been built upon an earlier foundation at the start of the17th Century. Read More...

Enniscrone Town Name

There are many derivations of the name ‘Enniscrone’ such as Inishcrone, Inniscrone and the Irish equivalent Inis Crabhann. An early written reference to Enniscrone is from a poem dated 1417, where the name is spelt “Enniscrone”. The name recorded locally for the little stream in the Castle Field is the “Inis”; it is possible that the derivation of the name came from this. The modern development of Enniscrone appears to date from the 1840’s. The pier was built between 1884 and 1887 and a coastguard station was also erected at this time.

Enniscrone's Black Pig

The Black Pig Festival of Enniscrone evolved from a legend story that a wild boar that was claimed to have magical powers, ran through the streets of Donegal killing all in his path. This boar was covered with large bristles that were deadly poisonous to touch Read More...


Rathlee Shipwreck Enniscrone

On 15th. November, 1883, the 137 ton iron steamer, Rathlee, was wrecked at Enniscrone. Read More...


Church of the Assumption

Church of the Assumption - Enniscrone had no curate until 1863 when the population of the town had grown larger. Before 1863, the area was served by the P.O. in Kilglass. Read More...

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