An Cosantóir

32 IMPENETRABLE SHADOWS FORT DUNREE Fort Dunree: Guardian of the Lough The Gaelic Loch Súilí in County Donegal means the lake of shadows or the lake of eyes. Flanked on both sides by rugged cliffs and beautiful hilly peninsulas that consist of Inishown to the east and Fanad to the west, the Lough is a flooded river that stretches 40km into county Donegal from the Atlantic Ocean. It is navigable by boats at all stages, as far upriver as Letterkenny, reaching from fifteen to fifty metres in depth. One of three glacial fjords in Ireland, Lough Swilly has been a safe and secure anchorage and waterway for centuries. Its strategic importance has been recognised as far back as the first century with the construction of a fort, Griannan of Aileach. Positioned near the southern bend of the Lough, it is believed to have been constructed on the site of an earlier Iron Age hill fort. Those who controlled the Lough ensured the security of not only Donegal, but of the country. In Ireland's attempt to break free from British rule, foreign assistance from abroad was sought on numerous occasions by those seeking Irish independence. Britain's wars with France and Spain provided opportunities of an amphibious landing of troops, weapons and supplies that would enable Irish forces to attack and seize control of the country. The abortive attempt to land French forces in Bantry Bay in 1796 under General Hoche, alerted crown forces to the possibility of fighting Irish insurgents, who were being supported by regular French troops on Irish soil, thereby opening up another front that the British would struggle to maintain. Two years later in 1798, another French Force under the command of Admiral Bornpart was intercepted by the Royal Navy and defeated off the Donegal Coast. Theobald Wolfe Tone, leader of the United Irishmen who accompanied the French frigate 'La Hoche' on this mission, was escorted into Lough Swilly by H.M.S. Doris, then arrested. This attempt at a seaborne landing prompted both British Naval and military authorities to draw up plans for more robust defences against amphibious landings along Ireland's coastline and in particular Lough Swilly. Many defences such as the Martello towers were constructed along the coastline of Ireland between 1798 and 1800 to counter the threat of a Napoleonic invasion. Several forts were built along both sides of Lough Swilly at Dunree, Ned's Point, Saltpan Hill, and the Down of Inch on the east bank and Macarnish Point on the west. These early earthen works, some with permanent buildings, were equipped with a 42 pounder cannon that had been taken from the French ship 'Hoche' after its capture. The two most important forts were Knockalla and Dunree because they were positioned closest to the mouth of the Lough and at its narrowest. Because of this, by 1800 Dunree had several permanent buildings and two 42 pounder guns located on the highest point of the fort. In 1810 more land was acquired at Dunree by the War Department and a large project to improve the defences in the region commenced. Martello towers were erected at Knockalla and Macamish and the Rathmullan battery replaced the one at Saltpan Hill. The strategic importance of the Lough saw the erection of permanent buildings on all the sites and an increase in personnel manning the posts with the garrison at Dunree numbering twenty-eight, including a Master Gunner. As the threat of invasion from France subsided, some believed the defences should be abandoned to conserve money. However this was overruled due to the Lough's importance as a safe and secure anchorage for transatlantic convoys. A new plan was devised in 1894 that would only use the forts on the east bank resulting in the upgrade and rearming of Dunree and Ned's Point. A new Fort was also constructed at Lenan Head. As Fort Dunree's defences were upgraded, so too were its armaments. After the Napoleonic wars, nine twenty-four pounder cannon were installed. In the late 19th century the guns were replaced with 4.7 inch and two 6 inch Mark IV guns. In 1911 6 inch Mark VII artillery pieces were in situ. A large searchlight was erected to assist naval passage through the Lough and also to pick out potential targets. In 1914 soldiers from the v A Mark XVII Sea Mine on display outside the Fort Dunree museum building By Mr Paul O'Brien MA Photos by Sgt Karl Byrne & A/M Sam Gibney v One of the searchlights on display outside the Fort Dunree museum building A 4.7 inch gun looking west out onto Bunnaton across what is the north Atlantic sea

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