Richard II de Bermingham (died 1580) was an

Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the establis ...

lord. Richard had one of the longest terms as lord, but it was during these years that

Athenry Athenry (; ) is a town in County Galway, Ireland, which lies east of Galway city. Some of the attractions of the medieval town are its town wall, Athenry Castle, its priory and its 13th century street-plan. The town is also well known by virtu ...

came to decline. The succession crisis of the second

Earl of Clanricarde Earl of Clanricarde (; ) is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Ireland, first in 1543 and again in 1800. The former creation became extinct in 1916 while the 1800 creation is extant and held by the Marquess of Sligo since 191 ...

and the subsequent Mac an Iarla wars, devastate his lordship, to the point where he admitted to

Sir Henry Sidney Sir Henry Sidney (20 July 1529 – 5 May 1586), Lord Deputy of Ireland, was the eldest son of Sir William Sidney of Penshurst, a prominent politician and courtier during the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI, from both of whom he received ...

that though his was the oldest

lordship in

Connacht Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Delbhn ...

, he and his people were reduced to penury; he was "as poor a baron as liveth". Two of the worst events were the 1572

Sack of Athenry The Sack of Athenry was a 1572 battle in Ireland. For much of its history the town of Athenry ( ) was safe behind its walls, erected in the aftermath of the Second Battle of Athenry in 1316 during the height of the Bruce Wars. However, the begin ...

and its destruction by

Aodh mac Maghnusa Ó Domhnaill Sir Hugh McManus O'Donnell (Irish: ''Sir Aodh mac Maghnusa Ó Domhnaill''; died c. 1600) was an Irish Gaelic lord. He was ''The O'Donnell'' of his clan, and king of Tyrconnell in medieval Ireland. Biography O'Donnell's second marriage was to In ...

in 1577. While in the 1540s there were above three hundred prosperous houses in the town, there were by the 1570s less than forty, now of quality and many of their inhabitants ready to leave. In response to the unrest, Richard permanently shifted the location of the lordship to

Dunmore Dunmore from the ga, Dún Mór, link=no or gd, Dùn Mòr, link=no, meaning "great fort", may refer to: People * Dunmore (surname) * Earl of Dunmore, a title in the Peerage of Scotland, includes a list of earls * Countess of Dunmore (disambiguat ...

, at the northern extent of his rule. The family would be based in the area henceforth, though still owning land and property in Athenry and its environs. Richard died in 1580, but was so insignificant that his death was not reported in the annals. He married Catherine O'Kelly, and had a son Edmond, 10th Baron.

References

* ''History of Galway'',

James Hardiman James Hardiman (1782–1855), also known as Séamus Ó hArgadáin, was a librarian at Queen's College, Galway. Hardiman is best remembered for his '' History of the Town and County of Galway'' (1820) and '' Irish Minstrelsy'' (1831), one of the f ...

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...

, 1820 * ''The Abbey of Athenry'', Martin J. Blake, Journal of the

Galway Archaeological and Historical Society The Galway Archaeological and Historical Society was founded on 21 March 1900, at the Railway Hotel, Galway. It promotes the study of the archaeology and history of the west of Ireland. Since 1900, the Society has published 70 volumes of the ''J ...

, volume II, part ii, 1902 * ''The Birmingham family of Athenry'', H.T. Knox, J.G.A.H.S., volume ten, numbers iii and iv, 1916–17. * ''Remarks on the walls and church of Athenry'', Charles Mac Neill, J.G.A.H.S., volume 11, numbers iii and iv, 1921 * ''Old Galway'',

Maureen Donovan O'Sullivan Mary Josephine Donovan O'Sullivan was Professor of History at Queens College, Galway (now NUI Galway) from 1914 to 1957. Biography One of ten children, four of whom survived infancy, Donovan was born at Fair Hill Road in Galway on 24 November ...

, 1942. * ''Punann Arsa:The Story of Athenry, County Galway'', Martin Finnerty,

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 ...

, 1951. * ''Athenry: A Medieval Irish Town'', Etienne Rynne, Athenry Historical Society, Athenry, 1992 {{DEFAULTSORT:Bermingham, Richard II Nobility from County Galway Barons Athenry

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father died ...

1580 deaths