Standing alone in a dramatic glaciated valley, its battlements rising through a canopy of windswept pine, Glenveagh Castle (pronounced "Glen vay") conjures an air of history, grandeur and romance. However, Glenveagh is little over a century old and its fortified appearance derives from the Victorian passion for highland sporting retreats. Glenveagh's architectural scheme is roughly that of Balmoral on a reduced scale including a tall rectangular keep with distinct stepped battlements, (a unique Irish form) from which extends on lower stories a comfortable residence. Granite, plentiful in Donegal but difficult to work, was chosen as the building stone. The castle was completed in 1873; two years after work began...