Chapter 26

Donegal Town from the Celtic Dun na nGall translates as 'stronghold of the foreigners'. There was an early Viking fortress located here that was destroyed in 1159 by Murtagh Mac Lochlainn, then the High King of Ireland. The town eventually gave its name to the County, but it never had walls like other major towns in Ireland.

As in many other areas of Ireland, there is archaeological evidence in both Realities for settlers in the area going back to prehistoric times. Some of this is in the remains of ring forts and other defensive earthworks in the area.

The town sits in a valley at the mouth of the River Eske facing Donegal Bay, and is overlooked by the Bluestach Mountains which surround it. It is the 'Capital' of Tir Conaill and the Seat of the O'Donnell Clan.

In 1623, Earl Rory O'Donnell granted the town the status of a Borough and allowed them to hold regular Fairs and Market Days. He also laid out the current plan of the town and its 'Diamond', or town square, as they are called in this part of Ulster Province. During the same period, he made major changes and improvements to Donegal Castle.

On designated Fair and Market Days, the streets of Donegal are always thronged with farmers who have come to buy and sell stock, as well as procure other necessities. Additionally there are many traveling traders there in addition to others who are just out for the day to have a good time.

The town is famous for its Tweed cloth which is produced by many in the area from pure new wool from the household sheep. This is dyed in various colors which are then woven on hand looms into the unique family cloth products that are then sold at the Tweed Market. The town also has a long tradition of weaving carpets that are highly sought after.

We were around an hour and a-half on the road after leaving Biddy's Pub before we arrived in Donegal Town. The road from Ballybofey eventually turned into Main Street which led to the 'Diamond, as the town square here was known. It didn't require any inquiries to locate Donegal Castle, as it was the tallest structure in the town.

Doctor Dunleevy later told us that the original Castle had been built by the elder Earl Hugh Roe O'Donnell around 1474 on a bend of the River Eske for defensive purposes, the river protecting it on two sides. The castle that we approached now sat inside of a large bawn surrounded by an eighteen foot high crenelated curtain wall that appeared to extend for around a hundred and ten feet to our right and at an angle to our left for around another hundred feet. At the intersection of these two walls sat a two story guard tower that was adjacent to the entry gate which was in the angled section of the wall. The gate was about six feet wide and nine feet high with a round top. It had twin wooden gates opening inward, and a pair of yetts that opened outward. The tower had its own separate narrow entrance door. The yetts and the gates were presently open, but we were halted by an armed guard as we approached them.

"What do you seek here?" the guard demanded.

"I have a letter for Doctor Dunleevy from his Wife," I told him.

"Wait here," we were told, as the guard returned to the bawn. He soon reappeared with another man.

"Where is this letter?" the new man, a Sergeant or Lieutenant, demanded.

"It is to be delivered to Doctor Dunleevy personally," I told him.

"I still need to see it," the Guard Sergeant told me. I produced the letter and handed it to him. He carefully examined it and its stamped wax seal.

"It took three of you to deliver this?" he demanded next.

"We were coming this way, and Lady Feidhelm asked us to deliver it," I had just finished explaining to him when another man dressed in finer and more expensive clothing came up to the gate from inside

"What is the problem, Sergeant?" he asked.

"This Wizard claims to have a letter for Doctor Dunleevy, my Lord," the Sergeant explained.

"I see," the second man said before he noticed Lady Caoilinn's cart.

"What are you doing with Lady Caoilinn's cart and mare?" he demanded.

"Lady Caoilinn lent us the cart and mare for this trip, and we stopped at Drumboe Castle on the way here," I told him, but had my wards ready in addition to warning the Sisters mentally to be prepared for trouble.

"Dismount! I will send for Niall Dunleevy, and we will get to the bottom of all of this," the second man, who was obviously someone important, told us. I also noticed that there were now several more guardsmen on top of the tower, as I dismounted and helped the Sisters down from the cart. They didn't appear to be happy about our reception at all.

The wait was about ten minutes or so before a guardsman appeared with another man. He appeared to be in his mid thirties, about 5'-9" tall with brown hair and gray eyes. He was a bit thin, appearing to weigh not more than 145 pounds or so.

"What is the problem?" he asked, as he approached.

"This Wizard claims to have a letter for you from your Wife," the second man told him.

"Are you Doctor Niall Dunleevy?" I asked him.

"Yes, " he replied, and I handed him the letter. He looked at the name on the outside and the wax stamp before opening the letter. He read the first part of it before smiling.

"Hugh, this is Master Kellen O'Connell. My Wife recommends him highly. He was sent to her by Lady Caoilinn, your Cousin," Niall Dunleevy told the second man, who smiled at this news.

"Well, come in then and welcome, Master O'Connell and your Apprentices also," he said and smiled even more at the Sisters, who did not smile back. We walked our horses and the cart through the gate. A couple of stablemen came over to collect our horses and the cart at a shout from the Sergeant of the Guard.

"My horse is a little stubborn. If you have any trouble with him come and get me," I told the stableman before he led my horse off.

"We'll need our other clothes, too" Airmid reminded me as we continued toward the Castle and its Manor House. It was a good eighty feet to the steps that led up to the elevated main entrance on the first floor of the Manor House. The ground floor entrances led to the kitchen and storage areas we later learned.

During our walk, I got a good look at the Castle, and its attached Manor House. It was obvious that the Castle was no longer intended as a fortress. I wasn't sure how it had originally been configured, but from the number of large windows visible on the front and the inner side of the Castle, it would be difficult to defend now. I did notice that there were still arrow slit openings in the lower walls of the Castle just as there had been in the lower parts of the bawn wall and the guard tower. There were also guards on the walkways of the bawn wall.

The Manor House also had large windows in what was obviously the main living area on the first floor. It had smaller windows on the second floor above ground, but they were still large by local standards. Many of the windows consisted of four mullions and eight pieces of real glass which represented a considerable investment in this time and place.

We mounted the stairs and entered the reception room of the Manor House, which was quite large. There were several more steps up from the entry area to the first floor. The room was around twenty-five long by the depth of the building, or about twenty-one feet. A quick check with my Green Magic told me that the walls of the Manor House were only three feet thick. There was one of the large eight pane windows in the front wall of the room that looked out on the bawn, and another of the same size on the back wall that overlooked the river.

These windows were five feet square in size. There were heavy curtains that could be drawn over the windows in the winter. The back wall of the room also held a large fireplace with an ornate surround. There were several upholstered chairs and a sofa in addition to numerous wooden chairs and several stools. There were several very colorful rugs on the flagstone floor. The wainscot matched the ornamentation around the fireplace and the plastered walls were painted a maroon color with wide gold trimmed moldings about ten inches below the plastered ceiling. There was a large chandelier with eight Magic-powered lamps hanging from the ceiling in the center of the room. There were doors and doorways leading to other parts of the house at either end of the room.

We were already standing in the reception room before Niall Dunleevy realized that he hadn't introduced the other man yet.

"Please excuse my forgetfulness both of you!" he asked before proceeding. "Master O'Connell this gentleman is Hugh Garbh O'Donnell, the Earl's oldest living Son, and the one in line to be An O'Domhnill and Earl," he informed me indicating the other man. Hugh O'Donnell was tall at about 5'-10" and weighed around 165 pounds. He appeared to be 29 or 30 years old. His hair was a dark auburn as was his mustache, and he had sparkling gray eyes.

"Please call me Kell," I asked. "Master O'Connell is so formal. Also allow me to introduce my Apprentices, the Mac Sweeney Sisters, Airmid and Almha," I told them indicating each Sister in turn.

"The Mac Sweeney Sisters!? From Doe Castle?" Hugh asked, in surprise and a bit confused.

"Yes!" Airmid answered, "but we were sent away from there when we were about four years old." Hugh O'Donnell looked even more confused and startled at this admission.

"But as I remember it, they were both born blind and deaf. The Mac Sweeney himself was here to explain to Father why they were sent away. How can these two be them?" Hugh asked, still confused.

"Yes, we were both blind and deaf until a short time ago when Kellen rescued us and cured our physical impairments!" Almha told him proudly.

"Cured!?" both Niall and Hugh shouted at the same time.

"Yes!" Airmid told them. "He restored our hearing and eyesight."

"But that's ... amazing! I would almost say impossible except you are both here and can obviously see and hear. I've never heard of such a thing being done before," Niall said on recovering from his shock.

"I realize that you have just arrived and haven't even had a chance to freshen up yet, but could look at my Father, the Earl, tomorrow or at your earliest convenience?" Hugh asked expectantly.

"Yes, I would be glad to look in on him. What are his apparent problems?" I asked.

"I'm afraid that the Earl isn't well," Niall told us and follower that with the symptoms, "His heart isn't good, he has headaches, can hardly move around, and has a terrible cough. I have tried everything that I know, and he hasn't gotten any better. I would have asked you to look at him if Hugh hadn't," he finished.

"Can we safely wait until tomorrow?" I asked, not liking the sound of the symptoms at all.

"We can at least wait until you are settled in and have had something to eat," Hugh told us. He rang for the Steward then and instructed him on what room we were to have. The Steward led us up to a room on the second floor. It was located on the back side of the house, and there was a view of the river from the window. Looking out the window, it appeared that the ground at the rear of the complex was several feet lower than that in the bawn and that at the front of the complex.

The room was not as fancy as the receiving room had been. There was no wainscot, but the walls were plastered and painted. The bed was large enough to accommodate the three of us easily. There was a nightstand, a chest with extra blankets and a comforter at the foot of the bed in addition to a very fancy stand with a large bowl and a pitcher. It even included a mirror for shaving. There were rugs on the floor that surrounded the bed and clothing storage chests.

After we had inspected the room, the Sisters called our possessions to us from the cart. They had become quite proficient at that also. We cleaned up and rested for a bit then without any need of voice practice, as we had done a lot of that on the way here. We had gotten up to dress for the evening meal later when there was a sharp knock on our door.

"Master O'Connell, I urgently need to speak to you!" we heard a voice say through the door. I quickly opened the door to find Hugh O'Donnell there in a state of near panic.

"Niall sent me to get you! Father has taken a turn for the worse, and we are both hoping that you can do something for him," he told me quickly.

"We have already dressed for the evening meal, and will need to change back into our robes. It will be just a minute," I told him. The Sisters had already started to remove their dresses, as I closed the door. We were ready to go in just a couple of minutes.

We followed Hugh down the hallway and then the stairs, through the reception room to a bedroom at the end of a hall on the first floor. The room held a very large four poster bed and the other usual furniture, but they were of the best and most ornate construction. Additionally there was a large fireplace on the end wall of the room. The bed was occupied by an older man, and Niall Dunleevy was attending him.