Seán na Maighe Ó Cellaigh, lord of

Uí Maine U or u, is the twenty-first and sixth-to-last letter and fifth vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''u'' (pro ...

, fl.

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1584 __NOTOC__ Events January–June * January–March – Archangelsk is founded as ''New Kholmogory'' in northern Russia, by Ivan the Terrible. * January 11 – Sir Walter Mildmay is given a royal licence to found Emman ...

. Ó Cellaigh was a descendant of

Máine Mór Máine Mór mac Eochaidh (fl. 4th century) was the founder of the kingdom of Uí Maine. Biography Máine Mór descended from Colla da Chrioch of Oirghialla/ Oriel, Máine Mór, his father Eochaidh Ferdaghiall and his two sons Breasal and Amhl ...

, who founded

. His gr-gr-gr-gr-gr-grandfather was

Conchobar Ó Cellaigh Conchobar Ó Cellaigh, 43rd King of Uí Maine and 10th Chief of the Name, died 1268 in Ireland, 1268. Historical background Uí Maine during his reign fell away from subordinate status to the Kings of Connacht and regained something of its former ...

(died

1268 Year 1268 ( MCCLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By topic War and politics * February 18 – Battle of Rakvere: The Livonian Order is defeated by Dovmont ...

), a notable ruler of the kingdom. Seán lived in the parish of Creagh, Ballinasloe, and was described by historian Rev Jerome Fahey as:

''an exceedingly influential petty-chief, holding a position astride the main highway into western Connacht. Morne na Maighe, his daughter (or sister?) was the wife of Domhnall Ó Madadhan, lord of Síol Anmchadha, the territory to the south of Clonmacnowen. ..in the sixteenth century eoccupied Creagh castle.''

As a result of the strategic importance of his lands, and their extensiveness, he was sought out by the Castle Administration in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, who hoped to make him abandon the

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...

Brehon laws Early Irish law, historically referred to as (English: Freeman-ism) or (English: Law of Freemen), also called Brehon law, comprised the statutes which governed everyday life in Early Medieval Ireland. They were partially eclipsed by the Norma ...

and become a loyal subject of the crown. In an effort to secure his lands from other Ó Cellaighs, and to obtain the protection of the crown, Seán made a submission of Surrender and regrant in 1578, acknowledging the rule of

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

. For this he was rewarded with the legal title to his impressive list of property. The

Fiant A fiant was a writ issued to the Irish Chancery mandating the issue of letters patent under the Great Seal of Ireland. The name ' comes from the opening words of the document, ', Latin for "Let letters patent be made". Fiants were typically issued ...

s list them as:

''all the manors and lands in Towyn alias Twunsrwra, Creagh, killynmalron, Behagh, Downe(lowe), Garwalle, Clonekyn, Balledonyllan, Tolrose, Keil, Garraf, Cowllery, Colleghcally, Cornesharrog, Lurce, Cillalachdan, Parklosnisker, Ballylough, and Belligh, Cos. Roscommon and Galway, also all rents and services of and upon Sleightowen, Sleight M'Donnell, Sleightloghlen, Cleindonoghmore, Sleight M'Brien, Sleight Mahon, Sleight Donell Clery, Sleightcossnyhown and Sleight Shane in the Province of Connacht. To hold for life, remainder to Rory ne Moy O'Kelly his son and heir, in tail male, remaincder to Shane ne Moy, another son of the said Shane and his heirs for ever. to hold in capite by the service of one knight's fee. Rent eight pounds seventeen shillings and ten pence. This grant to exonerate the grantee from any composition made with the lord deputy for the support of the Soldiers in the province – 26 July (1578)''

Many of these lands later became the town of Ballinasloe and its environs; its castle was built and occupied by

Edward Brabazon, 1st Baron Ardee Edward Brabazon, 1st Baron Ardee (c. 1548 – 7 August 1625) was an Anglo-Irish peer. Brabazon was the eldest son of Sir William Brabazon (died 1552), the Lord Justice of the Kingdom of Ireland, and Elizabeth Clifford (died 1581). His mother was ...

. Seán's surrender to the laws of the Crown were part and parcel of the Surrender and Regrant policy pursued in sixteenth-century Ireland. It enabled Seán's family, in the eyes of the crown, to legally hold their lands according to the English legal system. However, much of this land was confiscated in the aftermath of the

Irish Confederate Wars The Irish Confederate Wars, also called the Eleven Years' War (from ga, Cogadh na hAon-déag mBliana), took place in Ireland between 1641 and 1653. It was the Irish theatre of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, a series of civil wars in the kin ...

by the Cromwellian administration.

References

* ''The Parish of Ballinasloe'', p. 12, Jerome A. Fahey, 1912. * ''Dictionary of Irish Biography'', 2009.

External links

*http://magoo.com/hugh/oclery.html *http://dib.cambridge.org/ {{DEFAULTSORT:O Cellaigh, Sean Na Maighe People from County Roscommon Nobility from County Galway 16th-century Irish people Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown

See also

References

External links