Philip O'Sullivan Beare ( ga, Pilib Ó Súilleabháin Béirre, 1590–1660) was an Irish soldier who became more famous as a writer. He fled to

Habsburg Spain Habsburg Spain is a contemporary historiographical term referring to the huge extent of territories (including modern-day Spain, a piece of south-east France, eventually Portugal, and many other lands outside of the Iberian Peninsula) ruled be ...

during the time of Tyrone's Rebellion, when

Gaelic Ireland Gaelic Ireland ( ga, Éire Ghaelach) was the Gaelic political and social order, and associated culture, that existed in Ireland from the late prehistoric era until the early 17th century. It comprised the whole island before Anglo-Normans co ...

was making its last stand against

Tudor England Tudor most commonly refers to: * House of Tudor, English royal house of Welsh origins ** Tudor period, a historical era in England coinciding with the rule of the Tudor dynasty Tudor may also refer to: Architecture * Tudor architecture, the fin ...

. He subsequently authored the book, the ''Catholic History of Ireland'', which offered a history from the perspective of the native

Irish Catholics Irish Catholics are an ethnoreligious group native to Ireland whose members are both Catholic and Irish. They have a large diaspora, which includes over 36 million American citizens and over 14 million British citizens (a quarter of the British ...

Biography

Philip O'Sullivan Beare was the son of Dermot O'Sullivan and nephew of Donal O'Sullivan Beare, Prince of Beare. The O'Sullivans, headed by the O'Sullivan Beare, owned much of

Valentia Island Valentia Island () is one of Ireland's most westerly points. It lies off the Iveragh Peninsula in the southwest of County Kerry. It is linked to the mainland by the Maurice O'Neill Memorial Bridge at Portmagee. A car ferry also departs from R ...

in south-western Ireland. He was sent to Spain in 1602, and was educated at Compostela by Vendamma, a Spaniard, and John Synnott, an Irish Jesuit. He served in the Spanish army. In 1621 he published his ''Catholic History of Ireland'', a work not always reliable, but valuable for the Irish wars of the author's own day. He also wrote a ''Life of St. Patrick'', a confutation of

Gerald of Wales Gerald of Wales ( la, Giraldus Cambrensis; cy, Gerallt Gymro; french: Gerald de Barri; ) was a Cambro-Norman priest and English historians in the Middle Ages, historian. As a royal clerk to the king and two archbishops, he travelled widely and w ...

and a reply to

James Usher 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 identi ...

's attack on his ''History''. He died in 1660 in Spain, leaving a "daughter of twelve years to inherit his titles in Ireland and his goods".

Works

* O'Sullivan Beare, Philip,
Historiae Catholicae Iberniae
'. Spain. 1621. Edited by

Matthew Kelly Matthew Kelly (born David Allan Kelly, 9 May 1950) is an English actor and presenter. Having been trained as a theatre actor, he first came to public prominence as a television presenter of ITV light entertainment shows such as ''Game for a L ...

1850, Dublin: Printed by John O'Daly. Portion translated into English by Matthew J. Byrne 1903, titled
Ireland under Elizabeth
', and also

'. Dublin: Sealy, Bryers & Walker.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Osullivan Beare, Philip 1590 births 1660 deaths 17th-century Irish people People from County Cork Irish writers 17th-century Irish historians Wild Geese (soldiers) Irish expatriates in Spain Irish soldiers in the Spanish Army People of Elizabethan Ireland Irish chiefs of the name

Biography

Works

See also

Further reading

References