Sir Donal O'Donnell (

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

: ''Sir Domhnall Ó Domhnaill'', died 1590) was a member of the

O'Donnell dynasty The O'Donnell dynasty ( ga, Ó Dónaill or ''Ó Domhnaill,'' ''Ó Doṁnaill'' ''or Ua Domaill;'' meaning "descendant of Dónal") were the dominant Irish clan of the kingdom of Tyrconnell, Ulster, in medieval Ireland. Naming conventions Or ...

Tyrconnell Tyrconnell (), also spelled Tirconnell, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Donegal, which has sometimes been called ''County Tyrconnell''. At times it also included parts of County Fermanagh, Cou ...

in modern-day

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...

. He was the eldest son of Sir Hugh McManus O'Donnell, the

Lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or ar ...

for much of the reign of

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

Biography

Sir Donal O'Donnell was the eldest son of Sir Hugh O'Donnell, the ruler of Tyrconnell. Sir Donal was the leading contender in the O'Donnell succession dispute of the 1580s which took place while his father was still alive. His personal jurisdiction covered "''that part of Tirconnell from the mountain westwards, i.e. from Barnesmore to the river Drowes'' (i.e.

Tirhugh Tirhugh (; ) is a barony in County Donegal, Republic of Ireland. Baronies were mainly cadastral rather than administrative units. They acquired modest local taxation and spending functions in the 19th century before being superseded by the Loca ...

), ''and also all the inhabitants of

Boylagh Boylagh ( ga, Baollaigh) is a historic barony in County Donegal in Ireland. Patrick Weston Joyce said the name ''Boylagh'' comes from the territory of the O'Boyles. It was created along with Banagh when the former barony of Boylagh and Banagh w ...

and Tir Boghaine'' (i.e. Bannagh)". His father's primary domain concentrated on Kilmacrenan and Mongavlin, and his cousin Niall Garbh O'Donnell held sway in Lifford and eastwards of there. The '' Four Masters'' described him as "''a mighty champion and great in battle, and it was never heard that at any time he had turned his back on his enemies''" and O'Donovan says he was known "''to lead his father's forces''". Amongst the other leading contenders were his younger half-brother

Hugh Roe O'Donnell Hugh Roe O'Donnell (Irish: ''Aodh Ruadh Ó Domhnaill''), also known as Red Hugh O'Donnell (30 October 1572 – 10 September 1602), was a sixteenth-century leader of the Gaelic nobility of Ireland. He became Chief of the Name of Clan O'Donne ...

and his great-uncle

Hugh Dubh O'Donnell Hugh Dubh O'Donnell (; died 1618) was a member of the O'Donnell dynasty of Tyrconnell in modern-day County Donegal. He was the younger brother of Manus O'Donnell, the ruler of Tyrconnell between 1537 and 1555. When his brother died, Hugh Dubh unsu ...

. Donal received the allegiance of O'Boyle and MacSweeney Banagh, as well as of the English Crown, who felt he had a stronger claim to the Lordship, by primogeniture. The Dublin government felt that Donal could command more support locally than his brother as Donal's mother was an Ulster woman while Hugh Roe was the son of Finola Mac Donald, daughter of James MacDonald, Lord of Dunyveg and Kintyre, (nicknamed'Iníon Dubh/Dark-haired Daughter by the Irish) a Scottish woman. Shortly after the Armada shipwreck of 1588, Sir Donal O'Donnell was knighted and appointed as

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

of Donegal by the

Lord Deputy The Lord Deputy was the representative of the monarch and head of the Irish executive under English rule, during the Lordship of Ireland and then the Kingdom of Ireland. He deputised prior to 1523 for the Viceroy of Ireland. The plural form is '' ...

, Sir William FitzWilliam. FitzWilliam also had Sir Eoin O'Gallagher, an influential supporter of Hugh Roe, arrested and imprisoned. In 1589 a force of

Irish Army The Irish Army, known simply as the Army ( ga, an tArm), is the land component of the Defence Forces of Ireland.The Defence Forces are made up of the Permanent Defence Forces – the standing branches – and the Reserve Defence Forces. The Ar ...

troops were sent into the area under Captain

John Connill John Connill (sometimes Connell) was a soldier noted for his service in Ireland during the late sixteenth century. His background is uncertain. His name may be an anglicisation of the Irish name O'Connell. In 1589 Connill was despatched by th ...

who assisted Sir Donal against his rivals. Sir Donal grew stronger in the late 1580s, and took control over much of western Tyrconnell. He was also powerful enough to back his own candidate in the succession dispute in neighboring

Fermanagh Historically, Fermanagh ( ga, Fir Manach), as opposed to the modern County Fermanagh, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Fermanagh. ''Fir Manach'' originally referred to a distinct kin group of a ...

, where he established Hugh Maguire as Chief of the Name ahead of his rival Connor Roe Maguire. Donal also drew strength from his alliance with Sir Turlough Luineach O'Neill, whose daughter he had married. Shortly after the Armada shipwreck of 1588, Sir Donal O'Donnell was knighted and appointed as

by the

, Sir William FitzWilliam. Faced with the attempted overthrow of her husband,

Sir Hugh O'Donnell Sir Hugh McManus O'Donnell (Irish: ''Sir Aodh mac Maghnusa Ó Domhnaill''; died c. 1600) was an Irish Gaelic lord. He was ''The O'Donnell'' of his clan, and king of Tyrconnell in medieval Ireland. Biography O'Donnell's second marriage was to I ...

, and the eclipse with English backing of her son's claim to the succession, Iníon Dubh hired large numbers of Redshank mercenaries and raised those among Donegal's

Irish clan Irish clans are traditional kinship groups sharing a common surname and heritage and existing in a lineage-based society, originating prior to the 17th century. A clan (or ''fine'' in Irish) included the chief and his patrilineal relatives; howe ...

s which were still loyal to her husband to confront her son's rival. Sir Donal was defeated and killed at the

Battle of Doire Leathan The Battle of ''Doire Leathan'' took place on 14 September 1590 at ''Doire Leathan'' (English: Derrylahan), a townland and hamlet located between Kilcar and Carrick in south-western County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland. Townlands.ie: Derrylahan Town ...

, near

Glencolmcille ''Gleann Cholm Cille'', anglicised as Glencolumbkille or Glencolmcille, is a small district on the Atlantic coast of southwest County Donegal in Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. Named after Saint Colm Cille (Columba), it is also a ...

, on 14 September 1590. According to 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 ...

'', "Seldom before that time had his enemies triumphed over him; and the party by whom he was slain had not been by any means his enemies until they encountered on this occasion; and although this Donnell was not the

rightful heir Rightful Heir is the 149th episode of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', and the 23rd episode of the sixth season. Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet crew ...

of his father, it would have been no disgrace to Tirconnell to have elected him as its chief, had he been permitted to attain to that dignity. In this conflict were slain along with Donnell the three sons of Owen, son of Mulmurry, son of Donough above mentioned, together with two hundred others, around Donnell."The Annals of the Four Masters'', 1590

Legacy

After successfully escaping from

Dublin Castle Dublin Castle ( ga, Caisleán Bhaile Átha Cliath) is a former Motte-and-bailey castle and current Irish government complex and conference centre. It was chosen for its position at the highest point of central Dublin. Until 1922 it was the se ...

two years later, Hugh Roe successfully had himself made The O'Donnell. Sir Donal O'Donnell was survived by his only son, Donal Óg O'Donnell. In a Spanish genealogy of the O'Donnell Dukes of Tetuan, Sir Donal O'Donnell features as a collateral ancestor with the annotation "''en 1589 su padre le concedio el titulo de marques - en 1587 se adhirio al pacto de su padre para librar a su hermano (Red) Hugh''".

Family tree

Notes

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:ODonnell, Donnell 16th-century Irish people People of Elizabethan Ireland Irish knights Year of birth unknown 1590 deaths People from County Donegal Donnell