Hugh Dubh O'Donnell (; died 1618) 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 younger brother of

Manus O'Donnell Manus O'Donnell (Irish: ''Maghnas Ó Domhnaill'' or ''Manus Ó Domhnaill'', died 1564) was an Irish lord and son of Sir Hugh Dubh O'Donnell. He was an important member of the O'Donnell dynasty based in County Donegal in Ulster. Early life Hug ...

, the ruler of Tyrconnell between 1537 and 1555. When his brother died, Hugh Dubh unsuccessfully challenged for the Lordship which was held by his two nephews

Calvagh O'Donnell Calvagh O'Donnell (Irish language, Irish: ''Calbhach Ó Domhnaill''; born c. 1515 - died 26 November 1566), eldest son of Manus O'Donnell, was an Irish King of Tyrconnell of the mid-16th century. He was Rí, king and chief of the O'Donnell dynas ...

and

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 ...

. He was supported in his claim by

Miler Magrath , appointed = 3 February 1571 , term_end = 14 November 1622 , predecessor = James MacCawell , successor = Malcolm Hamilton , other_post = , ordination = , ordinated_by = , consecration = 4 November 1565 , consecrated_by = Francesco ...

who suggested that his seniority in the family made him the rightful candidate. Hugh Dubh's powerbase was in northern Donegal, between the

River Lennon The River Lennon or Leannan ( ga, An Leanainn) is a river in County Donegal, Ireland. Course The River Lennon rises in the Glendowan Mountains and flows through Gartan Lough and Lough Fern. It continues through Kilmacrennan and enters Lough S ...

and the

River Swilly The River Swilly ( ga, An tSúileach) is a river in County Donegal, Ireland, which flows in an eastern direction through Letterkenny. Letterkenny, the largest town in County Donegal, is built on the river and became the first crossing point on ...

. He held castles at Cahir Anuske and

Ramelton Ramelton (; ), also Rathmelton, is a town and townland in County Donegal, Ireland. , its population was 1,266. History Ramelton is situated at the mouth of the River Lennon, 11 km north of Letterkenny and 4 km south of Milford, on th ...

. He was able to survive attacks by rival O'Donnell claimants, but was unable to gain the support of the Crown for his claims because he was regarded as untrustworthy. He again challenged for the lordship of the O'Donnell's against his great-nephews Sir Donnell O'Donnell and

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 ...

. In 1593 he was forced to acknowledge the succession of Hugh Roe, after he captured his stronghold of Beleek and executed sixteen of his leading supporters.Morgan p.133-34 Hugh Dubh was still in possession of a large amount of land by the time of the

Ulster Plantation The Plantation of Ulster ( gle, Plandáil Uladh; Ulster-Scots: ''Plantin o Ulstèr'') was the organised colonisation (''plantation'') of Ulstera province of Irelandby people from Great Britain during the reign of King James I. Most of the sett ...

. He is noted for his long-life, outliving many of his O'Donnell rivals across several generations.

References

Bibliography

* Morgan, Hiram. ''Tyrone's Rebellion''. Boydell Press, 1999. 16th-century Irish people 17th-century Irish people People of Elizabethan Ireland Year of birth unknown 1618 deaths People from County Donegal

Hugh Hugh may refer to: *Hugh (given name) Noblemen and clergy French * Hugh the Great (died 956), Duke of the Franks * Hugh Magnus of France (1007–1025), co-King of France under his father, Robert II * Hugh, Duke of Alsace (died 895), modern-day ...

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