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 c ...

was making its last stand against Tudor England. 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 Briti ...

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 ...

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 and a reply to James Usher'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 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