There is a castle in the village of Castlederg in County Tyrone. It belonged to the O’Donnell chieftains and guarded the ford over the River Derg. That part of Ulster was always in dispute between the O’Donnells and the O’Neills and many bloody battles took place. In 1479, Henry Og O’Neill overcame the forces of the O’Donnells and took posession of the castle. Castlederg remained in O’Neill hands until the defeat of the Irish earls by the English in 1603. The land around Castlederg became property of Sir John Davies in 1610. He rebuilt the castle and constructed the bridge over the River Derg. Davies also moved many Protestant settlers from England and Scotland into the area as part of the “Plantation of Ulster.” There was a response to the Plantation by Sir Phelim O’Neill in 1641. His rebellion brought about the bloody massacre of Protestant settlers all over Ulster especially in County Tyrone. Phelim O’Neill occupied Cstlederg and destroyed the castle. O’Neill was later hanged, drawn, and quartered in 1653 for his brutality. The castle was never rebuilt and remains in ruins today.