An Irish Romeo and Juliet

An Irish Romeo and Juliet?

The Legend of

Eileen MacSweeney & Turlough Óg O'Boyle

By John Sweeney

In 1620, Maolmhuire MacSweeney was Chieftain of Doe. A proud and wealthy man, he had an only daughter, Eileen, who was reputed to be so beautiful that songs were composed in her praise. Maolmhuire, always with an eye on wealth and power, was determined to ensure that his beautiful daughter would marry well, preferably another chieftain.

One day while out walking in the woods near the castle, Eileen met the handsome young Turlough Óg O'Boyle. Legend has it that it was love at first sight, and the carefree couple spent many blissful hours together, roaming the woods, oblivious to the world around them.

Maolmhuire was enraged on hearing of the romance, and, making it clear to Eileen that young O'Boyle was not good enough for her, in his estimations. He forbade her from meeting him ever again. She was not allowed to leave the castle and young Turlough was banished from MacSweeney territory.

But true love always finds a way, and one night while roaming aimlessly around the battlements of the castle, the hapless Eileen spied her love rowing across Sheephaven Bay toward the castle. Unfortunately, her father's troops spied him as well and duly reported him to Maolmhuire. The enraged Maolmhuire ordered Eileen to her quarters and then sent two boat- loads of armed men to capture Turlough and bring him to the castle where, along with some friends, he was thrown in the dungeons and left to starve to death.

Eileen, unaware that her love was captured and imprisoned in her father's dungeon, spent many nights watching out over Sheephaven Bay waiting for a glimpse of Turlough in his boat, rowing the bay, but alas, in vain.

Then one day she chanced to look out the window of her quarters on the fourth floor and to her horror saw her father's men carry the dead body of Turlough Óg from the dungeons to his grave. Some say she died of a broken heart shortly afterwards others say that on seeing the dead body of her young lover she was so overcome with grief, that she jumped from her window as the remains were passing underneath, and died instantly from her injuries, by the side of Turlough Óg. They say that they were laid to rest, side by side, in Castlesween Cemetery, adjacent to the Castle, and that a rose bush grew from each grave and the branches intertwined and produced blooms of great beauty.

Visitors to Castle Doe have occasionally reported seeing a beautiful young woman in a dark cloak sitting, as if in mourning, in various parts of the castle. Whether this is true is not certain, but one thing is certain: On a moonlit night if you stand on the battlements and watch out over Sheephaven Bay you may see a skiff floating flighty across the bay, guided by Turlough Óg O'Boyle, and beside him with her beautiful raven hair streaming in the cool breeze, the figure of the lovely Eileen MacSweeney, happily together again."

Doe Castle – the castle of the MacSweeneys, and the location of the tragic story of Turlough Óg and Eileen

The mundane facts

It’s a lovely story, but it never happened, at least as described in the folktale above. In the interests of historical accuracy, here are the facts: (from http://www.sweeneyclanchief.com/keepingit1.htm )

Maolmhuire (Sir Miles) Mac Sweeney occupied Doe Castle from 1596 to 1598 and the 'murder' of Turlough Óg O'Boyle could have occurred only during those years. The English took control of Doe Castle in 1603 and it changed owners several times before Captain John Sandford purchased it in December, 1614. Sandford and his family were living in Doe Castle in 1620 when Eileen Mac Sweeney is alleged to have jumped to her death. Sandford's wife died in 1629 and is buried in the graveyard beside Doe Castle. Sandford died soon afterwards.

Turlough Óg O'Boyle's grandfather, Tadhg Óg, last Chief of the Clan O'Boyle, died in 1607 and his son Turlough Rua (or Roe, red-haired), was granted land at the Plantation of Ulster, c.1610. It is recorded in Pynnar's survey, 1619, that Turlough Rua, at the time of the grant, was only a child. Given that Turlough Rua was a child in 1610 it is impossible that his son, Turlough Óg, could have been 'murdered' by Maolmhuire MacSweeney between 1596 and 1598. Furthermore, Maolmhuire MacSweeney's daughter, Eileen, could not have been in love with someone not yet born.

Maolmhuire MacSweeney died c.1630. Turlough Óg O'Boyle was slain by Cromwellian forces at the battle of Scarriffhollis, near Letterkenny, June 1650.

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The wider world intrudes

Perhaps it was the rivalry between the O’Boyles and the usurping Mac Sweeneys that gave rise to the tragic legend of Turlough Óg (young Terence) O’Boyle and Eileen MacSweeney. The story - an Irish Romeo and Juliet – captures the pathos of young love destroyed by dynastic quarrels.

Turlough Óg O'Boyle

Wild are thy hills O Donegal, that frown and darkly rise

as if to greet the mist that falls upon them from the skies

Dark, dark thy hills, and darker still thy mountain torrents flow

but none so dark as Maolmhuire's heart, in his castle hall at Doe.

Mild are thy plains, O Donegal, and calm thy winding streams

that gently flow by hut and hall, beneath the bright sunbeams

but plain or stream or meadow green or flower upon the lea

were none more mild than Maolmhuire's child, so sweet and fair was she.

Stout grow thine oak, O Donegal, and straight thine ashen tree

and swift and straight thy sons so tall, her country's pride to see.

But oak, nor ash, nor young men all, that spring from Irish soil,

were none more stout, swift, straight or strong, than the chief of Clan O'Boyle

He was the pride of Faugher side, from the hills of Ballymore,

for feats of strength, none equalled him from Fanad to Gaoth Dhobair

and he would go through the frost and snow on a merry Christmas day

with a ringing cheer to hunt the deer from his haunts in dark Glenviegh

In a little boat, O'Boyle would float and a-fishin he would go

with hook and line to Lackagh stream which runs by castle Doe

where high up in the tower above his loved one lay confined;

and in its lofty battlements, in sorrow deep she pined

At the castle strand two boats lay manned to await the rising tide,

Maolmhuire there in chief command, right cowardly did hide

and when O'Boyle on his homeward course steered past the Bishop's isle

they were waylaid, and a prisoner made, of the fearless young O'Boyle.

They took him to the castle, in strong irons he was bound

and by Maolmhuire was confined to a dungeon underground

but in a few days after, inside the graveyard wall,

four stalwart ruffians bore a bier, wrapped in a funeral pall

Then poor Eileen in her tower above beheld the mournful scene

in mute amaze she cast her gaze upon the graveyard green

all pale and death beside a mound of freshly risen soil,

the pall removed she there beheld the features of O'Boyle

Then with a shriek she madly leapt from her tower to the ground

where by her faithful waiting maid, her corpse in cold was found

In castle Doe, by the graveyard green, beneath the mould'ring soil

Maolmhuire's daughter sleeps in death, with Turlough Óg O'Boyle

Recorded by Tríona ní Dhomhnaill, of Bothy Band fame, who got it from her grandfather