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