Tarlach Rua Mac Dónaill () was an Irish poet. Tarlach Rua Mac Dónaill was from the townland of Derrylasky in the parish of Donaghmore,

County Tyrone County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six Counties of Northern Ireland, counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional Counties of Ireland, counties of Ireland. It is no longer used as an admini ...

, and lived in the first half of the 18th century. He was the author of ''Seachrán Charn tSiadhail'', which became extremely popular in Gaelic Ulster. It survived in numerous oral traditions, two manuscripts, and versions run to over fifty seven verses of eight lines each. The original probably was no more than six. ''Seachrán Charn tSiadhail'' describes a young man attempting to impress a young girl with an account of all the professions he has held and all the places he has visited. According to

Aodh Mac Dónaill Aodh Mac Dónaill (Anglicized: Hugh McDonnell) was a scribe from County Meath. Among the works he transcribed was ''Seachrán Chairn tSiadhail'' by Tarlach Rua Mac Dónaill. It is now contained in a manuscript house in the Public Library, Belfast ...

, Tarlach Rua

''"... was shot at the age of 23 by a party of soldiers of
Altmore Altmore (from ga, Allt Mór, meaning "great glen")) is a hamlet and townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is five miles from Carrickmore and four miles from Pomeroy. The townland is actually called Altmore (alias Barracktown) and is si ...
barracks. A remarkable event happened at his death. The old man, his father, came to bring home the corpse of his son. He had an ash twig in his hand and while collecting his son's brains in his cap, he struck the twig in the ground, and forgetting all about it went away carrying his son's corpse. The twig budded and grew into a very large tree. In sixty years it covered a square perch."''

References

* Diarmaid Ó Doibhlin (2000) ''Tyrone's Gaelic Literary Legacy'', in ''Tyrone:History and Society'' 18th-century deaths 18th-century Irish poets Irish male poets 18th-century Irish-language poets People from Donaghmore, County Tyrone Year of birth unknown 18th-century Irish male writers {{Ireland-hist-stub