Laughlin Ó Cellaigh,

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...

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 ...

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 ...

, died 29 June 1646.

Background

Ó Cellaigh was a descendant of the

Kings of Uí Maine Uí Maine was the name of a kingdom situated in south Connacht, consisting of all of County Galway east of Athenry, all of southern and central County Roscommon. In prehistory it was believed to have spanned the River Shannon, and in the 8th cent ...

, and cousin of the last attested king,

Feardorcha Ó Cellaigh Feardorcha Ó Cellaigh, 79th and last king of Uí Maine, 43rd Chief of the Name, fl. 1584-after 1611. Family background Ó Cellaigh was a native of Aughrim, County Galway. His father, Cellach Ó Cellaigh married Julia Ní Cellaigh, daughter of ...

, (1593 – after 1611). He was the chief of his branch of the

dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...

, owning the castles of Mullaghmore, Garbally,

Moylough Moylough ( ; ) is a small rural village located in County Galway in Ireland. It is located on the N63 national secondary road (Cnoc Tua Mór–Longford), and is served also by the R328 and R364 regional roads. It is 50 km from Galway, 30 ...

and Castleblakeney in north

County Galway "Righteousness and Justice" , anthem = () , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Galway.svg , map_caption = Location in Ireland , area_footnotes = , area_total_km2 = ...

. Laughlin is said to have been the last Ó Cellaigh inhabitant and owner of Moylough Castle. He was regarded as "a

chivalrous Chivalry, or the chivalric code, is an informal and varying code of conduct developed in Europe between 1170 and 1220. It was associated with the medieval Christian institution of knighthood; knights' and gentlemen's behaviours were governed by ...

man", and was kindly remembered in local folklore into the 20th century.

The Battle of Laught

Laughlin's brother, Tadhg Mór, resided a few miles away at Mullaghmore Castle, and was in dispute with Laughlin over possession of their lands and castles. Tadhg and his followers fought Laughlin and his army at Laught townland on 29 June 1646, during 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 ...

, Laughlin been defeated and killed. He was buried in Leacht, with the following

epitaph An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...

inscribed on his tomb:

"Oh people, who has seen so great a cause of pity since the Three Marys were watching the grave? Full of a castle of noble women. Trusting to one man and he was taken from them."

A second version of the conflict states that:

"Tradition says that at one time a great battle as fought at Leachtand many of the inhabitants lost their lives. At one time two chiefs, one from Williamstown and the other from Barnadeag owned all the land from Williamstown and barnadearg as far as Laught. However, they agreed to divide their land and that they should arise early on a certain morning and meet the other and where ever they should meet that would be the boundary." "The former was very greedy and haughty arose early, gathered an army and set out to meet his enemy. The latter was lazy and did not get up in time. He then set out with his army. Not agreeing with his brother and having the stronger army, he began to drive them back and the Williamstown army fled before the Barnadearg army. They continued their flight until they came to Laught and there they fought a pitched battle. The Williamstown chieftain was killed and was buried behind Boyle's shop. A memorial of stones and morter was erected to mark the place where he was buried.

Aftermath

Laughlin and his brother were first cousins of Tadhg Mór Ó Cellaigh of Aughrim and Tadhg Mór Ó Cellaigh of

Castleblakeney Castleblakeney, historically Gallagh (), is a village in County Galway, Ireland. It is at the crossroads of the R359 and R339 regional roads, 5km south of the town of Mountbellew Mountbellew or Mountbellew Bridge (historically ''Cregg ...

. Together with Tadhg Mór Mullaghmore, "They were said to be the three best Tadhgs in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

." Several of their descendants were killed during the

Battle of Aughrim The Battle of Aughrim ( ga, Cath Eachroma) was the decisive battle of the Williamite War in Ireland. It was fought between the largely Irish Jacobite army loyal to James II and the forces of William III on 12 July 1691 (old style, equivalent ...

Ballinasloe Ballinasloe ( ; ) is a town in the easternmost part of County Galway in Connacht. Located at an ancient crossing point on the River Suck, evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes a number of Bronze Age sites. Built around a 12th-ce ...

, on 12 July 1691. The battle of Laught is notable in being one of the last pitched battles to have occurred in

County Galway "Righteousness and Justice" , anthem = () , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Galway.svg , map_caption = Location in Ireland , area_footnotes = , area_total_km2 = ...

prior to the

Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence () or Anglo-Irish War was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and British forces: the British Army, along with the quasi-mil ...

(1919–1922) and the

Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War ( ga, Cogadh Cathartha na hÉireann; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United ...

(1922–1923).

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20110711084422/http://genforum.com/kirwin/messages/29.html

References

* ''Until Gooseberries Grown on a Tongs: St. Joseph's National School, Ballinruane and the Surrounding Community'', pp. 317–18, pp. 324–325, ed. Ballinruane Committee Members, 2007. {{DEFAULTSORT:O Cellaigh, Laughlin People from County Galway 1646 deaths Year of birth unknown