Oils on canvas 50 × 70 cm

The Castle of Doonbeg, (village of Doonbeg, County Clare, Ireland) was probably built about 1500. It has a fascinated history of fighting, intrique and murder.

Beside Doonbeg Castle crossing the river is a long bridge of six arches, between the two eastern of which, in a recess, dwelt a poor woman named Mary Belfast.

She used to boast that she could catch fish from her hall door, or drive a carriage over her roof.

The old people called her Mary Belfast because of her Northern accent. When the bridge was being constructed a tool house was built and this became Mary’s abode for many years.

She had a bed, table and chairs and a hole in the wall where the smoke escaped. Well known to all the locals, she had a sharp tongue and maybe it was unfortunate that she wasn’t always easilty understood.

The castle was much frequented by the travelling people until a portion of it fell in 1939. The last occupant was Michael Scanlon, a travelling teacher.