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Rory O'Donnell, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell

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Rory O'Donnell
Ruaidrí Ó Domhnaill
Earl of Tyrconnell
Rory O'Donnell, depicted in a fresco in the Vatican
King of Tyrconnell
Reign10 September 1602 – 4 September 1603
PredecessorHugh Roe O'Donnell
SuccessorTitle abolished
1st Earl of Tyrconnell
Reign4 September 1603 – 14 September 1607
PredecessorTitle created
SuccessorThe 2nd Earl of Tyrconnell
Born1575
Tyrconnell, Ireland
Died28 July 1608(1608-07-28) (aged 32–33)
Rome, Papal States
Burial29 July 1608
San Pietro in Montorio, Rome
SpousesBridget Fitzgerald
IssueThe 2nd Earl of Tyrconnell
Lady Mary Stuart O'Donnell
DynastyO'Donnell
FatherSir Hugh O'Donnell
MotherInion Dubh
ReligionRoman Catholic

Rory O'Donnell, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell (Irish: Ruaidrí Ó Domhnaill, 1d Iarla na Tír Chonaill; 1575 – 28 July 1608), was an Irish Gaelic lord and the last King of Tyrconnell prior to the Plantation of Ulster. He succeeded his older brother Hugh Roe O'Donnell and in 1603 became the first to be styled the Earl of Tyrconnell.[1] In 1607, following their defeat in the Nine Years' War, Tyrconnell and his wartime ally Tyrone fled Ireland for mainland Europe. Tyrconnell died of a fever shortly after settling in Rome.

Early life

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Born in 1575,[2][3][4] Rory O'Donnell was the second son of Irish lord Sir Hugh McManus O'Donnell and his second wife Iníon Dubh.[4] Hugh McManus reigned as Chief of the Name and Lord of Tyrconnell from 1566 until his 1592 abdication in favour of Rory's older brother Hugh Roe O'Donnell.[5][6][7] Iníon Dubh was a Scottish aristocrat of Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg.[8]

Rory's full-siblings included Hugh Roe,[5] Nuala, Manus,[9] Mary,[10] and Cathbarr.[9] Rory's older half-siblings (children of his father's first wife) included Donal and Siobhán.[11][8]

In July 1588, Sir Hugh promised Rory as a pledge for good behaviour.[4]

Nine Years' War

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Rory O'Donnell became tanist upon his brother Hugh Roe's 1592 inauguration as Lord of Tyrconnell. Rory fought in the Nine Years' War, though his role is largely overshadowed by Hugh Roe's leadership.[4]

In 1598, Rory was engaged by the governor of Connacht, Sir Conyers Clifford, in a plot against his brother. When this news reached Hugh Roe, he put Rory in chains for an unspecified time. It seems their relationship improved by 1600.[4][12]

On 9 October 1600, Rory's distant cousin and brother-in-law, loyalist Niall Garve O'Donnell, seized Lifford from him with the help of English forces. Despite attempts from Rory and Hugh Roe to retake Lifford, they were unsuccessful. This culminated in a battle on 24 October, in which Niall fatally wounded Rory's younger brother Manus. Rory and Niall engaged in single combat, though both were lucky to leave the battle with their lives.[4][13]

That December, Hugh Roe marched to Mayo, leaving Rory temporarily in charge. According to historian Emmett O'Byrne, "his tenure was not distinguished", as during this time, Niall's forces continued to gain momentum.[4]

The Irish confederacy suffered a major defeat at Kinsale. Rory became acting Chief when Hugh Roe left to seek desperately-needed reinforcements from Spain. Rory led the clan back to Connacht and maintained guerilla warfare, with the help of his ally Brian Oge O'Rourke. However, the two men failed in their attempt to take back power in Connacht. They lost Ballyshannon to Niall in Spring 1602, and could not prevent Oliver Lambart from entering Sligo in June. Rory and O'Rourke also argued amongst themselves.[4]

Hugh Roe died in Spain on 10 September [O.S. 30 August] 1602.[5] In December, Rory O'Donnell submitted to Lord Deputy Mountjoy at Athlone.[4]

Head of the clan O'Donnell

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Upon his older brother's death, O'Donnell succeeded him as King of Tyrconnell and Chief of the Clan O'Donnell.[4] Having submitted in London to the newly crowned King James I, Rory, under the policy of surrender and regrant was required to renounce his traditional titles and was in return created as Earl of Tyrconnell[2] per letters patent of 4 September 1603, with the subsidiary title Baron of Donegal reserved for his heir apparent. He was further granted the territorial Lordship of Tyrconnell per letters patent of 10 February 1604.[citation needed]

A 1614 Hiberno-Latin history of Donegal Abbey, however, criticized the title of Earl as, "how inferior to that with which the Prince of Tyrconnell used to be acclaimed on the sacred rock of Kilmacrenan!"[14]

Grave of Tyrconnell, Rome.

Flight of the Earls

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Main article: Flight of the Earls

There was much fury in Ireland and England that he and Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, had been treated so gingerly after allegedly committing treason (this became known as the Sham Plot), but time was on the side of the English authorities.[citation needed] On 14 September 1607, both Earls set sail from Lough Swilly with their families and followers for eventual exile in the Spanish Netherlands and Rome.[15][16]

The journey was difficult and harsh, and conditions on their boat were extremely poor.[17] The Earls arrived in France, not Spain as expected, then made their way north to the Spanish Netherlands. They eventually arrived in Rome[15] on 29 April 1608. Tyrconnell and Tyrone were welcomed to Rome by a guard of cardinals.[4] The next day, they met with Pope Paul V, who gave them and their families a small pension.[15]

Rome

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In early July 1608, Tyrconnell travelled to Ostia, a coastal town fifteen miles west of Rome, in order to "make holiday and take a change of air". He was accompanied by his brother Cathbarr, Hugh O'Neill, Baron Dungannon, and Donal O’Carroll, Vicar General of Killaloe. Unfortunately, the men "all agreed that that particular place [was] one of the worst and most unhealthy for climate in all Italy". Tyrconnell became ill on 18 July, and shortly afterwards he died in Rome on 28 July 1608. He was buried the next day in San Pietro in Montorio. His magnificent funeral was funded by the Marqués de Aytona, Spanish ambassador to Rome, who provided Tyrconnell's younger sister Nuala with 300 crowns.[18]

Family

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Around Christmas 1606,[4] Tyrconnell married Bridget FitzGerald, daughter of the 12th Earl of Kildare,[2] by whom he had two children: Hugh and Mary.[3] Tyrconnell left his wife behind in Ireland during his flight.[4] After his death, Bridget married the 1st Viscount Barnewall (1592–1663), with whom she had five sons and four daughters that survived him.[19]

Lord Tyrconnell's only son, Hugh, was three weeks shy of his first birthday when the Earls sailed from Lough Swilly,[3][20] and was raised in Louvain, Spanish Flanders. In time he joined the service of the King of Spain, and was killed in action when his ship engaged a French vessel in August or September 1642 and caught fire. He succeeded his father as 2nd Earl of Tyrconnell, but left no offspring; the title of Earl would have descended to his first cousin Domhnall Oge's line were it not meanwhile attainted in 1614.[citation needed]

Lord Tyrconnell's youngest child, Mary Stuart O'Donnell, left a more lasting impression on posterity. She was born in England[3] around 1607.[20] After her father's death, King James VI and I, the first Stuart King of England, gave her the name Stuart in recognition of their common Stuart ancestry – they were ninth cousins – hence she was known as Mary Stuart O'Donnell.[3] She was descended, through her mother, from the Stuarts. Mary was raised by her mother in the Kildare lands in Ireland until she was twelve years old.[citation needed] In 1619, Mary was sent to live with her grandmother, Lady Kildare, in London, where Lady Kildare aimed to educate the girl and make her her heiress.[21]

Portraiture

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Lord Tyrconnell is depicted as part of a fresco in the Vatican. He stands next to Hugh O'Neill during the 1608 canonization of Frances of Rome by Pope Paul V.[22][23] It was painted circa 1610.[23]

According to historian Francis Martin O'Donnell, many historians believe that the figure next to O'Neill is actually a Spanish ambassador - either Francisco de Moncada or his father Gastón. Francis Martin O'Donnell argues that the figure lacks Francisco's distinctive facial hair and portly appearance, and looks too young to depict Gastón, who was in his mid-50s at the time. The figure also lacks the ornate clothing an ambassador would be required to wear during such a ceremony. Therefore, it is most likely that the figure standing next to O'Neill is fellow Irish earl Rory O'Donnell.[23]

Family tree

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Notes

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  1. ^ Historian Francis Martin O'Donnell has named Sir Hugh's first wife as "Nuala, a daughter of O’Neill".[ii]
  2. ^ Concannon believed Siobhán was born c. 1569, and that her mother was Iníon Dubh,[iii] who married Sir Hugh around that time. However, Siobhán married Hugh O'Neill in 1574, making that date of birth unlikely. Casway and Walsh believe Siobhán's mother was Sir Hugh's first wife.[iv][v]
  3. ^ In a letter dated 31 January 1591, O'Neill references Siobhán's recent death.[v]
  4. ^ Her death date has alternately been given as 1639, 26 April 1640, or sometime after 31 March 1642.[v]
  5. ^ Walsh believes her birth date was c. 1588.[v]
  6. ^ Sources disagree on Henry's date of death: 1610,[iv] c. 1620,[xix] or c. 1626.[viii] It is clear that he died sometime before the publication of Philip O'Sullevan's Historia Catholica in 1621.[v]
  7. ^ The historicity of this person is disputed.[xx]
  8. ^ According to the English officials who wrote the Calendar of State Papers, Hugh Roe personally killed Niall Garve's four-year-old son (also his own nephew)[xlviii]
  9. ^ Gráinne is known only as a sister of the Earl (i.e., Rory), with no additional information.[lix]

References

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Citations

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  1. ^ O'Byrne, Emmett (October 2009). "O'Donnell (Ó Domhnaill), Sir Aodh mac Maghnusa". Dictionary of Irish Biography. doi:10.3318/dib.006332.v1.
  2. ^ O'Donnell, Francis Martin (15 November 2018). "The O'Donnells of Tyrconnell – A Hidden Legacy (Maunsel Irish Research Series)". Academica Press. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  3. ^ a b Concannon, p. 218-219 "Siobhan was probably the eldest of the family, and must have been born not later than 1569." "We know little of Siobhan, who can hardly have been more than one-and- twenty, when she died in 1590."
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Casway 2016
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Walsh 1930
  6. ^ a b Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 2004, p. 511-512
  7. ^ O'Byrne, Emmett; Clarke, Aidan; Barry, Judy (October 2009). "Bagenal (O'Neill), Mabel". Dictionary of Irish Biography. doi:10.3318/dib.006953.v1. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d e Dunlop 1895, p. 196
  9. ^ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 2004, p. 839
  10. ^ Morgan 2014
  11. ^ Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003.
  12. ^ a b Hill 1873, page 222. "Sir Randal Macdonnell was married about the year 1604 to Ellis or Alice O'Neill, the third daughter of Hugh earl of Tyrone. This lady, who was born in 1583, was in her twenty-first year at the time of her marriage, and was younger than either of her sisters, lady Macmahon or Lady Maginnis. She was older than her brother Hugh, the baron of Dungannon."
  13. ^ Cokayne 1910. "[The 1st Earl of Antrim] m., 1604, Alice, da. of Hugh (O'Neill), Earl of Tyrone [I], by his 2nd wife, Joanna, da. of Hugh McManus O'Donnell."
  14. ^ Ohlmeyer, Jane H (2001) [1993]. Civil War and Restoration in the Three Stuart Kingdoms: The Career of Randal MacDonnell, Marquis of Antrim. Dublin: Four Courts Press. p. 359. ISBN 978-0521419789.
  15. ^ Cokayne 1910. "[The 1st Earl of Antrim] m., 1604, Alice, da. of Hugh (O'Neill), Earl of Tyrone [I], by his 2nd wife, Joanna, da. of Hugh McManus O'Donnell."
  16. ^ Ohlmeyer, Jane H (2001) [1993]. Civil War and Restoration in the Three Stuart Kingdoms: The Career of Randal MacDonnell, Marquis of Antrim. Dublin: Four Courts Press. p. 359. ISBN 978-0521419789.
  17. ^ Concannon, p. 218 "The inscription on the tomb in San Pietro in Montorio shows that her eldest child, Hugh, was born in 1585."
  18. ^ Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 1867, p. 459: "..he died unmarried on the 23rd of September, 1609, aged twenty-four... and was buried in the church of St. Peter's in Montorio..."
  19. ^ a b Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 1867, p. 459
  20. ^ Ó Domhnaill, Niall; Na Glúnta Rosannacha (1952), page 87
  21. ^ Annals of the Four Masters: "1590: ...the son of O'Donnell himself, who, being unable to display prowess or defend himself, was slain at Doire-leathan, on one side of the harbour of Telinn, on the 14th of September."
  22. ^ Morgan 1993, page 107
  23. ^ O'Donnell, Francis Martin (2020). What did they really look like? An Iconography of the O'Donnells of Tyrconnell: myth, allegory, prejudice, and evidence. Tyrconnell-Fyngal Publishing.
  24. ^ O'Byrne, Emmett (2009). "MacDonnell (Nic Dhomhnaill), Fiona (Fionnghuala) ('Iníon Dubh')". Dictionary of Irish Biography. doi:10.3318/dib.006337.v1.
  25. ^ Walsh 1930, p. 17
  26. ^ Morgan 1993, p. 124
  27. ^ Starke 1984, page 3
  28. ^ Donegal County Archives. The Flight of the Earls: Document Study Pack.
  29. ^ Annals of the Four Masters: "1602:...O'Donnell should take the disease of his death and the sickness of his dissolution; and, after lying seventeen days on the bed, he died, on the 10th of September, in the house which the King of Spain himself had at that town (Simancas)...""
  30. ^ a b Morgan, Hiram (October 2009). "O'Donnell, 'Red' Hugh (Ó Domhnaill, Aodh Ruadh)". Dictionary of Irish Biography. doi:10.3318/dib.006343.v1.
  31. ^ a b c Bagwell 1895
  32. ^ a b c O'Byrne, Emmett (October 2009). "O'Donnell (Ó Domhnall), Ruaidhrí". Dictionary of Irish Biography. doi:10.3318/dib.006701.v1. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  33. ^ a b c Webb 1878
  34. ^ a b Silke 2006 "Hugh Albert O'Donnell, born [to Rory and Bridget] about October 1606, was the only son of this marriage, Mary Stuart O'Donnell being born about a year later."
  35. ^ Bagwell 1895 "About ninety persons sailed with the earls, among whom were Tyrconnel's son Hugh, aged eleven months..."
  36. ^ Ulwencreutz, Lars (2013), Ulwencreutz's The Royal Families in Europe V, Lulu.com, p. 136, ISBN 978-1-304-58135-8 "Hugh O'Donnell, 2nd Earl of Tyrconnell (1606-1642) Prince and Lord of Tryconnell".
  37. ^ "O'Donnell, Lady Mary Stuart (b. 1607?, d. in or after 1639), noblewoman". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/20557. Retrieved 24 April 2024. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  38. ^ Casway 2009. Casway gives her birthdate as c. 1575
  39. ^ Concannon, p. 218 "O'Clery tells us that Nuala was already married to Niall Garbh in 1592. This will place her birth-year with some degree of probability about 1577 — not later."
  40. ^ Knox 2002, p. 26. In contrast to Concannon, Knox believes Nuala was Rory's older sister.
  41. ^ Casway, Jerrold (July 2007). "Women in Flight". History Ireland. 15 (4). Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  42. ^ a b c Casway 2009
  43. ^ O'Sullivan Beare 2008. Philip O'Sullivan Beare notes that Manus's death (October 1600) occurred shortly after Nuala and Niall separated.
  44. ^ a b Dunlop, Robert. "O'Donnell, Niall Garv". Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900. 41.
  45. ^ a b Hill 1873, page 221
  46. ^ Annals of the Four Masters: "1608: Niall Garv O'Donnell, with his brothers Hugh Boy and Donnell, and his son, Naghtan, were taken prisoners about the festival of St. John in this year."
  47. ^ McGurk, John (August 2007). "The Flight of the Earls: escape or strategic regrouping?". History Ireland. 15 (4).
  48. ^ McGurk, John (2006). Sir Henry Docwra, 1564-1631: Derry's Second Founder. Four Courts Press. p. 93–95.
  49. ^ "O'Donnell". 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica. 20. 1911.
  50. ^ Concannon, p. 218 "Manus may have been born about 1579 or 1580. He was old enough to play a man's part in the battle in which he met his death at the hands of Niall Garbh (A.D. 1600)" Lughaidh Ó Cléirigh names the sons in the order of their birth: Hugh Roe, Ruairi, Manus and Cathbar.
  51. ^ Concannon, p. 232
  52. ^ a b c Clavin 2009
  53. ^ Pollard, Albert Frederick. "O'Cahan, Donnell Ballagh". Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900. 41.
  54. ^ a b Gallogy, Dan (1963). "Brian Oge O'Rourke and the Nine Years War". Breifne Journal. 2: 194–195.
  55. ^ a b Casway, Jerrold (1988). "The Last Lords of Leitrim: The Sons of Teige O'Rourke". Breifne Journal. VII: 561–562.
  56. ^ Concannon, p. 218
  57. ^ a b c d e McGettigan 2009
  58. ^ Annals of the Four Masters: "[Flight of the Earls, September] 1607: ...Rose, the daughter of O'Doherty, and wife of Caffar, with her son, Hugh, aged two years and three months..."
  59. ^ O'Donnell, Eunan; Reflection on the Flight of the Earls; Donegal Annual, Bliainiris Dhún na nGall, Journal of the County Donegal Historical Society, No. 58 (2006); pp. 31-44.
  1. ^ An apparent original of the letters patent of the Earldom were in the possession of Count Maximilian Karl Lamoral O'Donnell in Austria, (See Ó Domhnaill Abu – O'Donnell Clan Newsletter, no.2, Summer 1985), although that family did not inherit the title, nor the related territorial Lordship of Tyrconnell, the remainders of which were destined elsewhere
  2. ^ a b c Webb, Alfred (1878). "Rury O'Donnell". A Compendium of Irish Biography.
  3. ^ a b c d e Bagwell, Richard (1895). "O'Donnell, Rory" . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 41. pp. 444–447.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m O'Byrne, Emmett (October 2009). "O'Donnell (Ó Domhnall), Ruaidhrí". Dictionary of Irish Biography. doi:10.3318/dib.006701.v1. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Dunlop, Robert (1894). "O'Donnell, Hugh Roe" . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 40. pp. 436–440.
  6. ^ O'Byrne, Emmett (October 2009). "O'Donnell (Ó Domhnaill), Sir Aodh mac Maghnusa". Dictionary of Irish Biography. doi:10.3318/dib.006332.v1.
  7. ^ McNeill 1911.
  8. ^ a b O'Byrne, Emmett (October 2009). "MacDonnell (Nic Dhomhnaill), Fiona (Fionnghuala) ('Iníon Dubh')". Dictionary of Irish Biography. doi:10.3318/dib.006337.v1.
  9. ^ a b Concannon, H. (1920). "'The Woman of the Piercing Wail' (The Lady Nuala O'Donnell)". The Irish Ecclesiastical Record. 16. Dublin: John F. Fowler.
  10. ^ Clavin, Terry (October 2009). "O'Cahan, Sir Donnell Ballach". Dictionary of Irish Biography. doi:10.3318/dib.006536.v1. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  11. ^ Morgan, Hiram (September 2014). "O'Neill, Hugh". Dictionary of Irish Biography. doi:10.3318/dib.006962.v1. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  12. ^ McCavitt, John (21 March 2016). "Red Hugh O'Donnell and the Nine Years War. By Darren McGettigan. Pp 190, illus. Dublin: Four Courts Press. 2005. €45". Irish Historical Studies. 35 (140): 562–563. doi:10.1017/S0021121400005198. ISSN 0021-1214.
  13. ^ Clavin, Terry (October 2009). "O'Donnell, Sir Niall Garvach". Dictionary of Irish Biography. doi:10.3318/dib.006345.v1. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  14. ^ Meehan 1870b, p. 15.
  15. ^ a b c Morgan, Hiram (September 2014). "O'Neill, Hugh". Dictionary of Irish Biography. doi:10.3318/dib.006962.v1. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  16. ^ Smith, Murray (1996). "Flight of the Earls?: changing views on O'Neill's departure from Ireland". History Ireland. 4 (1). Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  17. ^ Casway 2016, p. 75.
  18. ^ FitzPatrick, Elizabeth (August 2007). "San Pietro in Montorio, burial-place of the exiled Irish in Rome, 1608-1623". History Ireland. 15 (4).
  19. ^ Harrison, Robert (1885). "Barnewall, Nicholas (1592-1663)" . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 03. p. 261.
  20. ^ a b Silke 2006. "Hugh Albert O'Donnell, born [to Rory and Bridget] about October 1606, was the only son of this marriage, Mary Stuart O'Donnell being born about a year later."
  21. ^ Casway 2003, p. 60-61
  22. ^ "Priest penetrates Vatican secrecy in quest for lost portrait of Irish rebel leader Hugh O'Neill". Mid-Ulster Mail. 18 February 2016. Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  23. ^ a b c O'Donnell, Francis Martin (2020). What did they really look like? An Iconography of the O'Donnells of Tyrconnell: myth, allegory, prejudice, and evidence. Tyrconnell-Fyngal Publishing.

Sources

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Further reading

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Regnal titles
Preceded by King of Tir Conaill
1602–1608 		Vacant
Peerage of Ireland
New creation Earl of Tyrconnell
1602–1608 		Succeeded by
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