That Georgian house wasn’t the first building on this spot either; it likely succeeded a 17th century house, evidence of which survives in an intriguing architectural fragment. Built into the wall at the southeast corner of an outbuilding behind the castle, visitors can spot a date stone bearing the inscription “WH, IM” and the year 1621 in false relief, offering a tangible link to the estate’s earliest documented structures.

The castle’s evolution mirrors the changing fortunes and architectural tastes of its successive owners across four centuries. From its origins as a 17th century house, through its Georgian reincarnation in 1751, to its Victorian Gothic Revival transformation in the mid-1800s, each iteration left its mark on the landscape of this Donegal demesne. The survival of that 1621 date stone, carefully incorporated into later building work, suggests the site’s historical significance was recognised even as newer structures rose around it.

Today’s visitors to Lough Eske can trace this architectural timeline through the remaining buildings and fragments scattered across the estate grounds. The juxtaposition of the Victorian castle with its earlier outbuildings creates a fascinating palimpsest of Irish domestic architecture, where centuries of construction, demolition, and rebuilding have created a complex historical narrative written in stone and mortar.