Mary Stuart O'Donnell
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Lady Mary Stuart O'Donnell ( Irish: ''Máire Stíobhartach/Stiúbhart Ní Dhomhnaill''; - in or after 1639) was an English-born Irish noblewoman. Her father, the 1st Earl of Tyrconnell, left her pregnant mother behind in Ireland during the
Flight of the Earls On 14 September ld Style and New Style dates, O.S. 4 September1607, Irish earls Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, and Rory O'Donnell, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell, permanently departed Rathmullan in Ireland for mainland Europe, accompanied by their fa ...
. Born in England, Mary and her mother survived on a pension from
James VI and I James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 M ...
and she grew up in Ireland as a Catholic. Due to her strong-willed nature and devout Catholicism, she became estranged from her mother's Protestant family, and after breaking into a London prison to free Irish fugitives, she fled to
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with her boyfriend Dualtach O'Gallagher. She faced further issues when
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and his allies sought to use her as a marital tool to unite their noble families. Mary and O'Gallagher escaped to Italy, where they married and had at least one child. The circumstances of her death are unknown - she was last recorded living in
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in 1639.


Family background

Mary O'Donnell was the daughter of
Rory O'Donnell, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell Rory O'Donnell, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell (Irish language, Irish: ''Rudhraighe'' ''Ó Domhnaill''; 1575 – 28 July 1608), was an Gaelic Ireland, Irish Gaelic lord and the last lord of Tyrconnell prior to the Plantation of Ulster. He succeeded his ...
, and his wife Bridget FitzGerald, daughter of the 12th Earl of Kildare. Rory was
tanist Tanistry is a Gaelic system for passing on titles and lands. In this system the Tanist (; ; ) is the office of heir-apparent, or second-in-command, among the (royal) Gaelic patrilineal dynasties of Ireland, Scotland and Mann, to succeed to ...
to his elder brother
Hugh Roe O'Donnell Hugh Roe O'Donnell II (; 20 October 1572 – 30 August 1602), also known as Red Hugh O'Donnell, was an Irish Chief of the Name, clan chief and senior leader of the Irish confederacy during the Nine Years' War (Ireland), Nine Years' War. He was ...
during the Nine Years' War (1593-1603). Rory succeeded Hugh Roe when the latter died in 1602, but was unable to secure an Irish victory. In December he surrendered to English forces at
Athlone Athlone (; ) is a town on the border of County Roscommon and County Westmeath, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located on the River Shannon near the southern shore of Lough Ree. It is the second most populous town in the Midland Region, Ir ...
. Rory was forced to renounce claims of land, and was bitterly discontented with his newfound financial difficulties and reduced status. Rory married Bridget FitzGerald after the war. Their only son, Hugh Albert, was born in October 1606. Due to increasing hostility from the English government, Rory fled Ireland in September 1607 whilst Bridget was pregnant with their second child. It was apparently a "snap decision", and as Bridget was staying at her paternal grandmother's
Maynooth Maynooth (; ) is a university town in north County Kildare, Ireland. It is home to Maynooth University (part of the National University of Ireland and also known as the National University of Ireland, Maynooth) and St Patrick's College, Maynoo ...
estate at the time, far away from the point of departure in
Rathmullan Rathmullan () is a seaside village and townland on the Fanad Peninsula in County Donegal, Ireland. It is situated on the western shore of Lough Swilly, north-east of Ramelton and east of Milford. Rathmullan was the point of departure duri ...
, she was left behind. Rory was joined by about ninety people - his extended family (including Hugh Albert), the family of wartime ally Hugh O'Neill, and various followers. When Bridget learned of her husband's departure, she was expected to deliver the baby within two weeks. Rory did not intend to abandon her, assuming she would reunite with him in
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at a later time. According to Rory's messenger Owen MacGrath, " ory's flight was notfor want of love... if ehad known sooner of his going, he would have taken ridgetwith him." Nevertheless, nineteen-year-old Bridget was distressed and furious at her husband leaving with no warning.MacGrath attempted to persuade Bridget to leave Ireland a few weeks after the flight, though she refused. Bridget's mother, Lady Kildare, had advised her to cooperate with the English. Bridget never saw her husband or son again; Rory died of a fever in 1608.


Early life

Mary Stuart O'Donnell was born in London, England around 1607. As an infant, she was presented by Bridget at the English court with a personal appeal to
King James VI and I James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until ...
. Bridget sufficiently roused the King with an emotional telling of her plight and financial troubles, and he granted Bridget a pension of £200 from Tyrconnell's escheated estates. He also gave the infant the name "Mary Stuart" after his mother the Queen of Scots, and placed her under royal protection. As the daughter of an
earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the Peerages in the United Kingdom, peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ...
, she was styled as 'Lady Mary'. In 1609, Bridget returned to her family's estates in Kildare. Mary was raised there by her mother as a Catholic. Mary's pension was decreased by £50 after her mother's second marriage (1619).


Life in London

In 1619, her mother remarried, and Mary went to live in England with her maternal grandmother for the next few years. She received a generous dowry from the King. Lady Kildare attempted to
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the young girl and proposed to leave Mary her substantial inheritance. However, within a few years, the strong-willed Mary had dismayed her mother's family due to her Catholicism and her failure to marry. Additionally, her pension was often not paid on time, leading to financial troubles. Much to the consternation of her mother's family, she increasingly associated with the young, disaffected
Irish Catholics Irish Catholics () are an ethnoreligious group native to Ireland, defined by their adherence to Catholic Christianity and their shared Irish ethnic, linguistic, and cultural heritage.The term distinguishes Catholics of Irish descent, particul ...
of
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. Lady Kildare had thought that a
Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
husband would resolve Mary's insolent behaviour, but Mary objected to the favoured suitor exactly because of his Protestantism. She was also already in a relationship with Catholic man Dudley "Dualtach" O'Gallagher. In the summer of 1626, Mary and several friends broke into a London prison and freed her half-brother Caffar "Con" O'Donnell and her first cousin Hugh O'Rourke, who had recently been incarcerated for refusing to revoke their claims over planted land in Ireland. Following this incident, she was ordered to appear before the royal court. She instead opted to go into hiding, then flee London with O'Gallagher during the latter months of 1626.


Escape to continental Europe

Disguised as a man named Rudolph Huntley, and wearing a sword, she got clear of London and after many wanderings arrived in
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. She was accompanied by a maid, Anne Baynham, similarly disguised, and by a young "gentilhomme son parent" (most likely O'Gallagher). At Bristol her sex was suspected; but, according to a Spanish panegyrist, who likens her to various saints, she bribed a magistrate, offered to fight a duel, and made fierce love to another girl. Two attempts were made to reach Ireland, but the ship was beaten back into the Severn. At last Mary got off in a Dutch vessel, and was carried with her two companions to
La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle'') is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime Departments of France, department. Wi ...
. She retained her doublet, boots, and sword, and at
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made love to another lady. She may have taken a ship to
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, then moved on to
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and finally
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.


Brussels

It took Mary six weeks to reach Brussels, and her trip was recorded by a man named Alberto Enriquez. In all likelihood, his account was written to portray Mary heroically to Archduchess
Isabella Clara Eugenia Isabella Clara Eugenia (; 12 August 1566 – 1 December 1633), sometimes referred to as Clara Isabella Eugenia, was sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands, which comprised the Low Countries and the north of modern France, with her husband Albert ...
, to whom Mary was appealing for financial support. Enriquez's account described Mary as a devout Catholic seeking safety on the Continent. Enriquez does not mention O'Gallagher's presence - the fact that Mary was travelling with a man of lower status was seen by some as a reason for scandal. On her arrival at Brussels in January 1627,
Pope Urban VIII Pope Urban VIII (; ; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death, in July 1644. As pope, he expanded the papal terri ...
wrote her a special congratulatory letter. He praised her "heroic" character and defiance against Protestantism. Mary met her elder brother, Hugh Albert, for the first time in Brussels. Through his influence, she was received by Isabella's court. Isabella granted her a pension. However, Mary faced difficulties with her new compatriots when Archbishop of Tuam
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arranged for her to be married to Shane O'Neill, 3rd Earl of Tyrone, an Irish nobleman who had become a decorated officer in the Spanish army. The relations between the O'Neills and the O'Donnells had become strained after the war's end, and Conry hoped a unifying marriage would allay hostilities between the noble families. Hugh Albert had hoped to unite the families in preparation for a planned invasion of Ireland in 1627. Mary, who had kept her relationship with O'Gallagher secret, anticipated conflict if she rejected the marriage. She secretly wrote to Lord Conway, English Secretary of State, defending her flight from authorities, and proposing that with the right guarantee, she could return to England, and with her, bring Shane into the King's service. This plan came to naught. Historian Jerrold Casway believes that this saga exposes "the hopelessness of her position". Around 1629, Mary became pregnant, and her relationship with O'Gallagher was exposed. The disgraced couple once again fled, this time from Brussels to Italy. They arrived in
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in 1630, where she was greeted with admiration as the daughter of the late 1st
Earl of Tyrconnell Earl of Tyrconnell is a title that has been created four times in the Peerage of Ireland. It was first created in 1603, for Rory O'Donnell, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell, formerly king of Tyrconnell, along with the subsidiary title Baron Donegal. The 1 ...
.


Italy

Mary and O'Gallagher married in Rome. The couple unsuccessfully petitioned the pope for financial help. They later settled in
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, where Mary gave birth to a boy. By this time, her relationship with the Catholic Church and the O'Donnell family had irrevocably broken down. The Church was unwilling to support Mary, and Hugh Albert claimed that Mary was an imposter pretending to be his sister. She had also estranged her elder brother by continuing to seek adventures in men's clothes. Mary and O'Gallagher had to survive on a subsidy from Archduchess Isabella.


Vienna

The couple found refuge in
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, where they were treated warmly by Irish Franciscans. In February 1632 Mary wrote to Cardinal Barberini (nephew of
Pope Urban VIII Pope Urban VIII (; ; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death, in July 1644. As pope, he expanded the papal terri ...
) saying that another child was expected. In 1635, O'Gallagher became a captain in the imperial army, but was killed during his service. Her infant son fell ill and died shortly after her husband's passing.


Later life and death

Beset by grief and estranged from her family, she travelled Europe once again before eventually settling down in Rome. By 1639, Mary was living in Rome, married to "a poor Irish captain". Nothing more is known of her life after 1639. She apparently "died in poverty on the continent". According to some lore, she was buried in
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.


Family tree


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Further reading

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:ODonnell, Mary Stuart Daughters of Irish earls Mary Stuart 17th-century Irish women 1600s births 17th-century deaths Year of birth uncertain Year of death missing