Art MacBaron O'Neill ( Irish: ''Art mac Baron Ó Néill''; died 1618) was an Irish landowner and

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer. Etymology The wo ...

of the

Elizabethan The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The Roman symbol of Britannia (a female per ...

and early Stuart eras. He is sometimes referred to as Arthur O'Neill.

Biography

O'Neill was part of the

O'Neill dynasty The O'Neill dynasty ( Irish: ''Ó Néill'') are a lineage of Irish Gaelic origin that held prominent positions and titles in Ireland and elsewhere. As kings of Cenél nEógain, they were historically one of the most prominent family of the N ...

Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...

, the son of

Matthew O'Neill, 1st Baron Dungannon Matthew O'Neill, 1st Baron Dungannon (alias ''Matthew Kelly'', alias ''Feardorcha Ó Néill''; –1558), was an Irish aristocrat. He was accepted by Conn O'Neill as his natural son. Matthew was challenged by his half-brother Shane O'Neill over ...

. His 'middle name' was a

patronymic A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (more specifically an avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. It is the male equivalent of a matronymic. Patronymics are used, b ...

, referring to his father's title. His father's other children were Brian O'Neill, Cormac MacBaron O'Neill and

Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone (; – 20 July 1616) was an Irish lord and key figure of the Nine Years' War. Known as the "Great Earl", he led the confederacy of Irish lords against the English Crown in resistance to the Tudor conquest of Ir ...

. John O'Hart referred to Art as illegitimate (i.e. not the son of Matthew's wife Siobhán). Hiram Morgan similarly referred to Art as Tyrone's half-brother. Jerrold Casway called Art " yrone'solder half-brother". Conversely, Emmett O'Byrne stated that all four of Matthew's sons were legitimate. O'Neill ruled over

Oneilland Oneilland () is the name of a former barony in County Armagh, present-day Northern Ireland. It covers the northern area of the county bordering the south-eastern shoreline of Lough Neagh. At some stage the barony was divided into Oneilland Eas ...

south of

Lough Neagh Lough Neagh ( ; ) is a freshwater lake in Northern Ireland and is the largest lake on the island of Ireland and in the British Isles. It has a surface area of and is about long and wide. According to Northern Ireland Water, it supplies 4 ...

. He could speak fluent English unlike many of his relations. O'Neill fought alongside his brother during Tyrone's Rebellion (1594-1603). Despite a series of defeats against the

Irish Army The Irish Army () is the land component of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Defence Forces of Republic of Ireland, Ireland.The Defence Forces are made up of the Permanent Defence Forces – the standing branches – and the Reserve Defence Forces. ...

that culminated in the burning of their capital at Dungannon and retreat into the woods, they were able to agree the

Treaty of Mellifont The Treaty of Mellifont (), also known as the Articles of Mellifont, was signed in 1603, ending the Nine Years' War (Ireland), Nine Years' War which took place in Ireland from 1593 to 1603. End of war Following the English victory in the Battl ...

which restored them to royal favour under the new King James I. O'Neill and his brothers were pardoned for their past activities and had their lands restored to them. He died in 1618.

Family

O'Neill had nine sons, one of whom was Owen Roe O'Neill who served as a

mercenary A mercenary is a private individual who joins an armed conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any other official military. Mercenaries fight for money or other forms of payment rather t ...

in the

Spanish Army The Spanish Army () is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest Standing army, active armies – dating back to the late 15th century. The Spanish Army has existed ...

for many years before returning to Ireland during the

Irish Confederate Wars The Irish Confederate Wars, took place from 1641 to 1653. It was the Irish theatre of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, a series of civil wars in Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, all then ...

. Six of his other sons died during Tyrone's Rebellion, and Brian O'Neill was hanged as an outlaw in 1607. The two remaining sons also served in the Spanish Army.Casway 1984, p. 10.

Notes

References

* * People of Elizabethan Ireland 17th-century Irish people 16th-century Irish landowners Irish soldiers People from County Tyrone 1618 deaths Year of birth unknown 16th-century Irish military personnel * {{Ireland-bio-stub