Aodh Mac Suibhne, aka Hugh McSweeney,
Gallowglass
The Gallowglass (also spelled galloglass, gallowglas or galloglas; from ga, gallóglaigh meaning foreign warriors) were a class of elite mercenary warriors who were principally members of the Norse-Gaelic clans of Ireland between the mid 13t ...
of
Clanricarde
Clanricarde (; ), also known as Mac William Uachtar (Upper Mac William) or the Galway Burkes, were a fully Gaelicised branch of the Hiberno-Norman House of Burgh who were important landowners in Ireland from the 13th to the 20th centuries.
Ter ...
, died 1586.
Mac Suibhne was a Gallowglass who fought for the
Earl of Clanricarde
Earl of Clanricarde (; ) is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Ireland, first in 1543 and again in 1800. The former creation became extinct in 1916 while the 1800 creation is extant and held by the Marquess of Sligo since 191 ...
in south
Connacht
Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Delbhn ...
. The family resided at Rath Glas, and were descendants of
Domnall na Madhmann Mac Suibhne
Donald is a masculine given name derived from the Gaelic name ''Dòmhnall''.. This comes from the Proto-Celtic *''Dumno-ualos'' ("world-ruler" or "world-wielder"). The final -''d'' in ''Donald'' is partly derived from a misinterpretation of the ...
(fl. 1419). According to the 1585
Composition of Connacht
The Composition of Connacht, or Composition of Connaught and Thomond, was a 1585 agreement between, on the one hand, the Gaelic and Gaelicised chiefs of Connacht and Thomond and, on the other hand, the English Dublin Castle administration of the ...
, the only castles held in Clanricarde by members of the Mac Suibhne were at Kiltullagh and Cloughereavane, some six miles north of
Loughrea
Loughrea ( ; ) is a town in County Galway, Ireland. The town lies to the north of a range of wooded hills, the Slieve Aughty Mountains, and the lake from which it takes its name. The town's cathedral, St Brendan's, dominates the town's skyline ...
.
The
Annals of the Four Masters
The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' ( ga, Annála Ríoghachta Éireann) or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' (''Annála na gCeithre Máistrí'') are chronicles of medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Deluge, dated as 2,24 ...
give his
obituary
An obituary ( obit for short) is an article about a recently deceased person. Newspapers often publish obituaries as news articles. Although obituaries tend to focus on positive aspects of the subject's life, this is not always the case. Ac ...
under the year 1586:
''Hugh, the son of Owen, son of Donnell, son of Owen, son of Donnell-naMadhmann Mac Sweeny, Chief Constable of Clanrickard, died; and the person who then departed was a soldier in stature, and a hero in valour.''
See also
*
Clan Sweeney
Clan Sweeney is an Irish clan of Scottish origin. The Mac Suibhne family did not permanently settle in Ireland before the beginning of the 14th century, when they became Gallowglass soldiers for the Ua Domnaill dynasty of Tír Chonaill. The ...
References
* ''Land ownership in the 17th century'', Adrian James Martyn, in ''As The Centuries Passed: A History of Kiltullagh 1500–1900'', pp.93-96, ed. by Ciaran Jordan, 2000
External links
* http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100005E/index.html
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mac Suibhne, Aodh
16th-century Irish military personnel
People from Loughrea
Military personnel from County Galway