Edmond O'Flaherty (
Irish:''Eamonn Laidir Ó Flaithbertaigh'', died 1749) was an
Irish Jacobite
Jacobite means follower of Jacob or James. Jacobite may refer to:
Religion
* Jacobites, followers of Saint Jacob Baradaeus (died 578). Churches in the Jacobite tradition and sometimes called Jacobite include:
** Syriac Orthodox Church, sometimes ...
.
Biography
Ned Flahert was the grandson of Edmond mac Morogha na Maor and Morogh na Mart Ó Flaithbertaigh, sons of
Morogh na Maor Ó Flaithbertaigh, (died 1627, who was the last substantial chief of the
O'Flaherty clan. Both brothers fought in the
Irish Confederate Wars
The Irish Confederate Wars, also called the Eleven Years' War (from ga, Cogadh na hAon-déag mBliana), took place in Ireland between 1641 and 1653. It was the Irish theatre of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, a series of civil wars in the kin ...
.
O'Flaherty's epithet of ''Laidir'' (''strong Ned'') left a strong impression in
Connemara folk memory, with several anecdotes relating to his strength. In particular, he was remembered for his frequent combats with his neighbour, Captain Richard Martin. Martin had fought with the
Jacobites in the war, but had managed to obtain a pardon from
William III William III or William the Third may refer to:
Kings
* William III of Sicily (c. 1186–c. 1198)
* William III of England and Ireland or William III of Orange or William II of Scotland (1650–1702)
* William III of the Netherlands and Luxembourg ...
, enabling him to keep title to several estates in Connemara. The pair frequently fought each other on horseback, sword on hand, though because Eamonn Laidir had fewer retainers he was usually obliged to leave the field. He married three times - one of his wives was Julia Martyn, a cousin of Richard Martin - and had four sons.
O'Flaherty died in deeply distressed circumstances at his home in Cloonederowen,
Ballinakill, in or about 1749. His body was buried in a small chapel attached to Ballinakill church from where, many years later, they were taken up and placed in a niche in the chapel wall for people to see, due to the large size of Eamonn's bones.
See also
*
O'Flaherty
References
*''West or Iar-Connacht'',
Ruaidhrí Ó Flaithbheartaigh, 1684; edited and published with notes by
James Hardiman, 1844
*''Origin of the Surname O'Flaherty'', Anthony Matthews, Dublin, 1968
*''Stones of Aran: Pilgrimage'', Lilliput Press, 1986
*''Stones of Aran: Labyrinth'',
Tim Robinson, Lilliput Press, 1995
*"The Chair of Strong Ned Flaherty:Cathaoir Éamon Láidir Ó Flaithbheartach",
Eamonn P. Kelly
Eamonn P. Kelly (often known as "Ned") is an Irish archaeologist and historian who worked for the Irish Antiquities Division of the National Museum of Ireland from 1975, including as Keeper of Irish Antiquities (1992-2014). He also held the rol ...
, ''Irish Lives Remembered'', Issue 39, Winter 2017, pages 37–3
{{DEFAULTSORT:OFlaherty, Edmond
1749 deaths
Irish Jacobites
People from County Galway
17th-century births
18th-century Irish people