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Sir Hugh O'Donnell

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Hugh McManus O'Donnell
Aodh mac Maghnusa Ó Domhnaill
King of Tyrconnell
Reign1566–1592
PredecessorCalvagh O'Donnell
HeirHugh Roe O'Donnell
Bornc. 1520
Tyrconnell, Ulster, Ireland
Died1600 (aged 79-80)
Tyrconnell, Ulster, Ireland
Burial
Donegal Abbey, Ulster
SpouseNuala O'Neill
Iníon Dubh
IssueNumerous, including Donal, Siobhán, Hugh Roe, Rory, Nuala and Cathbarr
HouseUí Dhomhnaill
FatherManus O'Donnell
MotherJudith O'Neill

Sir Hugh McManus O'Donnell (Irish: Aodh mac Maghnusa Ó Domhnaill; c. 1520 – 1600)[1] was an Irish Gaelic lord. He was The O'Donnell of his clan, and king of Tyrconnell in Tudor-era Ireland.

A "wary politician",[2] O'Donnell's lordship was marked by political indecision. He attempted to appease both pro- and anti-English factions in Tyrconnell, and thus alternated between varying alliances. His clan ultimately united with long-time enemies the O'Neills against the English – this alliance would continue into the Nine Years' War (1593–1603).

O'Donnell's health had heavily declined by the 1580s. His second wife, Scotswoman Iníon Dubh, organised his abdication in 1592, in favour of their eldest son Red Hugh O'Donnell.

Family background

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Hugh McManus O'Donnell was born circa 1520. His parents were Manus O'Donnell, King of Tyrconnell, and Judith O'Neill (Irish: Siobhán Ó Néill), daughter of Conn O'Neill.[1][3] Some sources have referred to Hugh McManus as Hugh Dubh.[4][5]

Early career

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During 1542, he was recorded campaigning for his father against the lords of north Connacht.[1]

Historian Francis Martin O'Donnell has named Sir Hugh's first wife as "Nuala, a daughter of O’Neill".[5] Their children include Donal and Siobhán O'Donnell.[6][7][8]

According to historian Robert Dunlop, "for a long time past there had existed two parties in Tyrconnell" – those who supported an alliance with the English, and those who preferred to side with the O'Neills.[2] The O'Neill clan were hereditary rivals to the O'Donnells.[9][10][3]

Around 1557, Hugh O'Donnell feuded with his half-brother Calvagh for control of Tyrconnell's lordship. He allied himself with the O’Neill family against Calvagh.[3]

Reign

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Initial rule

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In May 1561, Shane O'Neill captured Calvagh and imprisoned him in Tír Eóghain, the O'Neills' kingdom. Hugh O'Donnell was set up as the effective ruler of Tyrconnell.[1]

O'Donnell was initially a proactive ruler. In 1561 he defeated Cathal O'Connor at Sligo. With the assistance of the English, Calvagh was reinstated in September 1565. O'Donnell fled to his ally Shane O'Neill and the two returned with reinforcements.[1]

Succession

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Under brehon law, O'Donnell succeeded to the lordship upon Calvagh's death in October 1566.[11][2][1] O'Donnell raided Tír Eóghain. O'Neill invaded Tyrconnell in response, but O'Donnell managed to pin O'Neill's forces against the high tide of Lough Swilly and thus drowned them.[1]

The same year, O'Donnell's claim to the lordship was disputed by Calvagh's son Hugh MacEdegany O'Donnell.[2][12]

Politics

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O'Donnell's succession to the lordship of Tyrconnell was a triumph for the pro-O'Neill faction. However, O'Donnell attempted to appease both factions by avoiding overt political declarations. This greatly diminished the confidence his own party had in him as leader, and his indecision also failed to satisfy the English government.[2] According to historian Emmett O'Byrne, O'Donnell was "always too weak politically and militarily to deal with the combined challenges of the power of the O'Neills in Ulster, the extension of English control into north Connacht, and the strength of his rivals in Tyrconnell".[1]

O'Donnell later did an about-face and allied with the English to crush the O’Neills.[3] In 1567, he defeated clan chief Shane O’Neill at Letterkenny. Shane lost 1,300 men, and was compelled to seek refuge with the MacDonnells of Antrim, who assassinated him.[13][11][3]

Marriage alliances

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O'Donnell's second wife was Scottish aristocrat Iníon Dubh of Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg - they married in 1569.[9][14][6] At the time, marriage into the MacDonald family was particularly coveted due to their military might.[15][6] It was ultimately the influence of Iníon Dubh that pushed the O'Donnell clan further into opposition with the English – though publicly Sir O'Donnell maintained his loyalty to the Crown.[2]

In June 1574, powerful O'Neill clansman Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, married O'Donnell's daughter Siobhán.[7] In 1587, O'Donnell's son (and tanist) Hugh Roe O'Donnell was betrothed to Tyrone's daughter Rose O'Neill.[16][17] These dynastic marriages would further cement a growing alliance between two Irish clans who had traditionally been mortal enemies for centuries.[9] The Description of Ireland (1598) makes reference to this alliance: "This controversie was taken away by a double marriage, Tyrone having married [Hugh Roe]'s sister, by whom he hath diverse sons, and [Hugh Roe] having married his daughter..."[10]

Spanish Armada

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In late 1588, 23 ships of the Spanish Armada were lost on Ireland's coast. Lord Deputy William FitzWilliam ordered the execution of Spanish survivors.[18] The Armada ship La Trinidad Valencera sank in Kinnagoe Bay, Inishowen.[19][20] Upon hearing of the presence of Spanish fugitives there, Tyrone's mercenary forces, commanded by his foster-brothers Richard and Henry Hovenden, proceeded to Inishowen.[21][22] Tyrone's instructions to the Hovendens are unknown;[23] ultimately his forces committed the largest single massacre of Armada survivors in Inishowen.[18]

Kinnagoe Bay, Inishowen

Historians Marshall and Morgan characterise Tyrone as reluctantly ordering the massacre to keep in the English government's good graces.[23][24] However, contemporary sources seem to imply that the massacre was carried out on the actions of the O'Donnell clan – O'Neill's forces were counselled by O’Donnell and Iníon Dubh.[18] In a report from Inishowen prior to the massacre, the Hovendens wrote to FitzWilliam: "O'Donnell is willing to serve against [the Spaniards], and hath none of his country as yet come in to him passing thirty horsemen; he hath sent for all his forces, but it is doubtful whether they will come in to him or not".[21] Government officials reported that Tyrone heavily reprimanded O'Donnell for betraying the Spaniards and their refuge; he contemptuously told O'Donnell to seek dwelling in another country.[18][23] A 1614 history of Donegal Abbey references O'Donnell doing penance for his sins in his retirement, "the weightiest of which was a cruel raid on the wrecked Spaniards of the Armada, whom he slew in Innishowen, at the bidding of deputy Fitzwilliam".[25]

Succession dispute

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In the 1580s, a violent succession dispute broke out amongst the O'Donnell family over who would succeed him.[1] With the help of her Scottish kinsmen, Iníon Dubh had MacEdegany killed in May 1588, and Donal O'Donnell killed in September 1590.[6] When Sir Hugh O'Donnell became senile in his old age, Iníon Dubh effectively took over leadership of the territory.[26][6][27] The succession dispute was compounded by Hugh Roe's kidnapping from Tyrconnell in 1587. O'Donnell offered thirty Spanish officers, taken from the Inishowen shipwreck, as prisoners in the hope to exchange them for his son, but this was unsuccessful. Hugh Roe eventually returned in 1592; Tyrone had bribed officials in Dublin to secure his release.[17]

Abdication

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In 1592, before an assembly of fellow nobles in Kilmacrennan,[28] Sir Hugh O'Donnell abdicated in favour of Hugh Roe.[29][1][3] This was accepted by the nobility.[28] Though apparently voluntary, his abdication was largely organised by Iníon Dubh.[28][30][17] Hugh Roe was inaugurated as The O'Donnell on 3 May 1592.[1]

Later life and death

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Donegal Abbey, O'Donnell's burial place

According to Philip O'Sullivan Beare, "[O'Donnell], after the manner of Irish Chiefs, devoted the seven years which he lived after this, to prayer and meditation on holy things".[31] He spent his final years living in retirement among the Franciscans at Donegal Abbey and doing penance for his sins.[32] He died from old age in 1600, by which time Tyrone's Rebellion was in full flight.[1]

His remains were clothed in the habit of a Franciscan monk and then buried underneath the Chapel of Donegal Abbey.[32]

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. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l O'Byrne, Emmett (October 2009). "O'Donnell (Ó Domhnaill), Sir Aodh mac Maghnusa". Dictionary of Irish Biography. doi:10.3318/dib.006332.v1.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Dunlop, Robert (1894). "O'Donnell, Hugh Roe" . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 40. pp. 436–440.
  3. ^ a b c d e f The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica (29 March 2024). "Hugh O’Donnell". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  4. ^ O'Clery, O'Clery & Murphy 1895, p. xxviii.
  5. ^ a b 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.
  6. ^ a b c d e O'Byrne, Emmett (October 2009). "MacDonnell (Nic Dhomhnaill), Fiona (Fionnghuala) ('Iníon Dubh')". Dictionary of Irish Biography. doi:10.3318/dib.006337.v1.
  7. ^ a b Casway 2016, p. 71.
  8. ^ Morgan, Hiram (September 2014). "O'Neill, Hugh". Dictionary of Irish Biography. doi:10.3318/dib.006962.v1. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  9. ^ a b c Morgan 1993, p. 124.
  10. ^ a b Walsh 1930, p. 37.
  11. ^ a b  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: McNeill, Ronald John (1911). "O'Donnell s.v. Calvagh O'Donnell". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 20 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 7.
  12. ^ Morgan 1993.
  13. ^ Brady, Ciaran (October 2009). "O'Neill, Shane (Seaán)". Dictionary of Irish Biography. doi:10.3318/dib.006966.v1. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  14. ^ Walsh 1930, p. 17.
  15. ^ Hill, J. Michael (1993). "The Rift within Clan Ian Mor: The Antrim and Dunyveg MacDonnells, 1590- 1603". The Sixteenth Century Journal. 24 (4). The University of Chicago Press: 865–879. doi:10.2307/2541605. JSTOR 2541605.
  16. ^ Walsh 1930, p. 36.
  17. ^ a b c Morgan, Hiram (October 2009). "O'Donnell, 'Red' Hugh (Ó Domhnaill, Aodh Ruadh)". Dictionary of Irish Biography. doi:10.3318/dib.006343.v1.
  18. ^ a b c d Morgan 2013, p. 5.
  19. ^ "Derry City & Strabane - An Armada Shipwreck - La Trinidad Valencera". Derry City & Strabane. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  20. ^ Marshall 1907, p. 8-9.
  21. ^ a b Marshall 1907, p. 9.
  22. ^ Morgan 1993, p. 106.
  23. ^ a b c Marshall 1907, p. 10.
  24. ^ Morgan, Hiram (September 2014). "O'Neill, Hugh". Dictionary of Irish Biography. doi:10.3318/dib.006962.v1. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  25. ^ Meehan 1870, p. 13.
  26. ^ Highley, Christopher (1997), Shakespeare, Spenser, and the Crisis in Ireland, Cambridge University Press, p. 103, ISBN 978-0-521-58199-8
  27. ^ Boyle, Michelle (20 December 2007). "Iníon Dubh - Forgotten heroine". An Phoblacht.
  28. ^ a b c Morgan 1993, p. 133.
  29. ^ Burke 1866, p. 409.
  30. ^ Newmann, Kate. "Finola MacDonald (c.1500 - )". The Dictionary of Ulster Biography. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  31. ^ O'Sullivan Beare 1903, p. 69.
  32. ^ a b Meehan 1870, p. 12.

Sources

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