Fearghal Ó Gadhra
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Fearghal Ó Gadhra (c. 1597 – after 1660), sometimes referred to as Farrell O'Gara, was lord of
Coolavin Coolavin (Irish ''Cúl ó bhFionn'') is a barony in south County Sligo, Ireland. It was created from the ancient túath of An Corann. The O'Garas were originally Lords of Coolavin. They were succeeded by the MacDermotts, a family of the Mile ...
, and patron of 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 ...
''.


Family background

Ó Gadhra was the son of Tadhg mac Oilill Ó Gadhra of Coolavin, located in what is now south
County Sligo County Sligo ( , gle, Contae Shligigh) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the Border Region and is part of the province of Connacht. Sligo is the administrative capital and largest town in the county. Sligo County Council is the local ...
. The family were ancient proprietors in
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 ...
;
Geoffrey Keating Geoffrey Keating ( ga, Seathrún Céitinn; c. 1569 – c. 1644) was a 17th-century historian. He was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, and is buried in Tubrid Graveyard in the parish of Ballylooby-Duhill. He became an Irish Catholic priest and a ...
gives their ancestry as follows: ''"Tadhg son of Cian, son of Oilill Olom, had two sons, namely, Connla and Cormac Gaileang. From Iomchaidh son of Connla comes O Cearbhaill, and from Fionnachta son of Connla comes O Meachair. From Cormac Gaileang son of Tadhg, son of Cian, comes O Eadhra and O Gadhra and O Conchubhair Ciannachta. The following are the territories they acquired, namely: Gaileanga, east and west; Ciannachta, south and north; Luighne, east and west."'' In the 12th century the Ó Gadhras were Kings of Sliabh Lugha, anciently referred to as
Gailenga Gailenga was the name of two related peoples and kingdoms found in medieval Ireland in Brega and Connacht. Origins Along with the Luighne, Delbhna, Saitne and Ciannachta, the Gailenga claimed descent from Tadc mac Cein mac Ailill Aulom. Franc ...
. The O'Hara's retained the name
Luighne Muimne, Luigne and Laigne, sons of Érimón by his wife Odba, were, according to medieval Irish legends and historical traditions, joint High Kings of Ireland following the death of their father. They ruled for three years, until Muimne died of pl ...
for their territory to the north. The O'Garas were expelled into Coolavin, Co. Sligo, by the
Mac Jordan of Connacht Mac or MAC most commonly refers to: * Mac (computer), a family of personal computers made by Apple Inc. * Mackintosh, a raincoat made of rubberized cloth * A variant of the word macaroni, mostly used in the name of the dish mac and cheese * Ma ...
.


Early life

Sir Theobald Dillon, an
Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the establis ...
property holder in Luighne, was awarded the wardship of Ó Gadhra by King James I which required Dillon to provide for Ó Gadhra's attendance at
Trinity College Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...
between 1609 and 1616. Despite the 1589 rebellion of his father, Iriell O'Gara, Fearghal inherited most of his estate, thanks to the protection of Dillon, and in the 1630s was one of the wealthiest Catholic landowners in the county. In 1618, either Gadhra or Dillon surrendered the estate at Moygara to King James I and received the land back on English Tenure, who in turn granted Gadhra the power to hold court and act as a baron. In 1634 he became MP for Sligo. He married Isobel Taffe, daughter of Sir John, Viscount Corran, who was married to a daughter of Sir Theobald Dillon. Though Dillon was Protestant, Ó Gadhra and his immediate family appear to have remained committed Catholics. Fearghal and Isobel had sons, Cian and John. A descendant, Oliver O'Gara, served in the army of James II during the
Williamite War in Ireland The Williamite War in Ireland (1688–1691; ga, Cogadh an Dá Rí, "war of the two kings"), was a conflict between Jacobite supporters of deposed monarch James II and Williamite supporters of his successor, William III. It is also called th ...
.


Irish Rebellion of 1641

Ó Gadhra welcomed the arrival of
Owen Roe O'Neill Owen Roe O'Neill (Irish: ''Eoghan Ruadh Ó Néill;'' – 1649) was a Gaelic Irish soldier and one of the most famous of the O'Neill dynasty of Ulster. O'Neill left Ireland at a young age and spent most of his life as a mercenary in the Spanish ...
in 1642, and his son John served as a captain in the Confederate forces. In 1643, Ó Gadhra was accused of being an Irish rebel by Andrew Adaire, who claimed Ó Gadhra was among the Irish rebels in County Sligo in 1641. In 1644, a Protestant refugee named Jane Browne testified that Ó Gadhra had shielded, fed, and clothed her and her children following the fall of the Protestant stronghold at Templehouse Castle in 1641.


Final Years

Following the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, Ó Gadhra's property was seized. He was alive as late as 1660, though the precise date of his death is uncertain.


Patron to the Four Masters

Ó Gadhra's contribution to Irish history and culture is as patron of 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 ...
'' in the 1630s. Scholars still scrutinise the motives behind the
Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...
order who chose ''"this politically minor lord ... as the patron of the most important annalistic collection of early modern Ireland ... A common explanation for Ó Gadhra's engagement ... is that his attendance at TCD brought him into contact with the antiquarian scholars
James Ussher James Ussher (or Usher; 4 January 1581 – 21 March 1656) was the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland between 1625 and 1656. He was a prolific scholar and church leader, who today is most famous for his ident ...
and James Ware, who, it is suggested, communicated their interest in collecting Irish literary and manuscript material to the young man. This is a plausible surmise but it is weakened by the lack of any evidence of Ó Gadhra's presence at Trinity. A more likely scenario is that the link between Ó Gadhra and
Mícheál Ó Cléirigh Mícheál Ó Cléirigh (), sometimes known as Michael O'Clery, was an Irish chronicler, scribe and antiquary and chief author of the ''Annals of the Four Masters,'' assisted by Cú Choigcríche Ó Cléirigh, Fearfeasa Ó Maol Chonaire, and Pereg ...
originated with the family of Ó Gadhra guardian. The Dillons had strong connections with the Franciscan order and in particular with monasteries associated with Ó Cléirigh. One of Dillion's sons, Edward (Father Louis), held the position of
novice A novice is a person who has entered a religious order and is under probation, before taking vows. A ''novice'' can also refer to a person (or animal e.g. racehorse) who is entering a profession A profession is a field of work that has ...
master in the Irish college at
Louvain Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the historic c ...
in the 1620s, when Ó Cléirigh was also there."'' (2010, p. 481). Other reasons included common sentiments with other Catholic patrons of the order's scholars. Also, Ó Gadhra was relatively wealthy and a respected member of the Catholic gentry of north Connacht. In appreciation of his support, he was presented with a copy of the manuscript, which included a lengthy acknowledgement of his efforts, by Ó Cléirigh. This manuscript was inherited by Ó Gadhra's sons, and taken to the continent by Colonel Oliver O'Gara, in his exile following the
Treaty of Limerick }), signed on 3 October 1691, ended the 1689 to 1691 Williamite War in Ireland, a conflict related to the 1688 to 1697 Nine Years' War. It consisted of two separate agreements, one with military terms of surrender, signed by commanders of a Frenc ...
. In the 1730s, O'Gara returned it Ireland, it been entrusted to Charles O'Conor (historian) of Belangare. It is currently in the
Royal Irish Academy The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ga, Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned socie ...
, as MS C iii3 and H 2 ii.


Ó Gadhra's in the annals

* 926 - ''Eaghra mac Poprigh, lord of Luighne Connacht.'' * 964 - ''Toichleach ua n-Gadhra was tighearna of Luighne Deisceirt.'' * 993 - ''Conghalach mac Laidhgnen, .i. ua Gadhra, tigherna Gaileng.'' * 1181 - '' Donn Sléibhe Ua Gadhra, king of Sleibe Lughu, died.'' * 1206 - '' Ruairí Ó Gadhra, Lord of Sliabh Lugha, died.'' * 1227 - ''Donn Sleibhe O Gadhra, Lord of Sliabh Lugha, was slain by Gillaroe, his own brother's son.'' * 1256 - ''Rory O Gadhra, Lord of Sliabh Lugha, was slain by David, son of Richard Cuisin.'' * 1285 - ''Rory O Gadhra, Lord of Sliabh-Lugha, was slain by Mac Feorais on Lough O'Gara.''


See also

* Ferghal Dubh Ó Gadhra, compiler of the O Gara Manuscript


References

* ''Dictionary of Irish Biography'', pp. 480–81, Cambridge, 2010.


External links

* http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~irlkik/ihm/connacht.htm#ail {{DEFAULTSORT:O Gadhra, Fearghal People from County Sligo 17th-century Irish people Irish philanthropists Year of birth uncertain