The current castle, a mid-nineteenth century Gothic Revival structure, stands on foundations that stretch back centuries. Built on the site of an earlier 1751 mansion, the property likely incorporates elements from a much older seventeenth century house that once occupied this scenic spot overlooking the lough.

The most intriguing piece of evidence for this earlier dwelling can be found built into the southeast corner of an outbuilding in the castle’s rear yard. Here, a date stone from 1621 has been carefully preserved, its inscription carved in false relief displaying the initials “WH” and “IM” alongside the date. This weathered stone serves as a tangible link to the property’s earliest known incarnation, when it would have been home to one of Donegal’s landed families during the Plantation era.

The castle’s evolution mirrors the broader patterns of Irish architectural history; from fortified house to Georgian mansion to Victorian castle, each generation of owners left their mark whilst incorporating remnants of what came before. Today’s visitors to Lough Eske Castle, now a luxury hotel, walk through rooms and corridors that have witnessed four centuries of Donegal’s changing fortunes, with that modest date stone in the yard serving as a silent testimony to the estate’s deepest roots.