Randal MacDonnell, 4th Earl of Antrim (1680–1721) was an
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 ...
aristocrat.
[Ohlmeyer p.34-35]
Early life
His parents were
Alexander MacDonnell, 3rd Earl of Antrim
Alexander MacDonnell, 3rd Earl of Antrim PC (Ire) (1615–1699) was a Catholic peer and military commander in Ireland. He fought together with his brother Randal on the losing side in the Irish Confederate Wars (1641–1653); and then, having ...
and Helena Burke. He had a young sister named Mary. Through his grandmother
Ellis MacDonnell, Countess of Antrim
Ellis MacDonnell, Countess of Antrim was an Irish aristocrat of the late Elizabethan and early Stuart eras.
Birth and origins
Ellis was born in 1583, the third daughter of Hugh O'Neill and his second wife, Siobhan O'Donnell. Her father was ...
he was descended from her father
Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone
Hugh O'Neill ( Irish: ''Aodh Mór Ó Néill''; literally ''Hugh The Great O'Neill''; – 20 July 1616), was an Irish Gaelic lord, Earl of Tyrone (known as the Great Earl) and was later created ''The Ó Néill Mór'', Chief of the Name. O'Nei ...
and was, therefore, part of the extended
O'Neill dynasty which had been the dominant family in
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 ...
until the
Flight of the Earls
The Flight of the Earls ( ir, Imeacht na nIarlaí)In Irish, the neutral term ''Imeacht'' is usually used i.e. the ''Departure of the Earls''. The term 'Flight' is translated 'Teitheadh na nIarlaí' and is sometimes seen. took place in Se ...
.
Randal's father was a leading Catholic, and supporter of
James II in the
Williamite War
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 ...
, unsuccessfully leading a force to capture
Derry in 1688. He was thereby regarded by James II's victorious opponent
William III to have forfeited the Earldom in 1689. However, the title was restored in 1697. Randal succeeded to the Earldom following his father's death in 1699. Like his father, he was suspected of
Jacobite leanings.
He was succeeded by his son
Alexander
Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...
in 1721.
References
Bibliography
* Ohlmeyer, Jane. ''Civil War and Restoration in the Three Kingdoms. The Career of Randall MacDonnell, Marquis of Antrim, 1609-1683''. Cambridge University Press, 1993.
External links
Genealogy of Randal Mac Donnell, 4th Earl of Antrim, on The Peerage website
17th-century Irish people
18th-century Irish people
1680 births
1721 deaths
People from County Antrim
Earls of Antrim
{{Ireland-earl-stub