Brian O'Neill (; – 16 August 1617), also known as Bernard or Con Brian, was a seventeenth-century Irish noble and the youngest son of

Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone (; – 20 July 1616) was an Irish lord and key figure of the Nine Years' War. Known as the "Great Earl", he led the confederacy of Irish lords against the English Crown in resistance to the Tudor conquest of Ir ...

. He joined his parents on the

Flight of the Earls On 14 September ld Style and New Style dates, O.S. 4 September1607, Irish earls Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, and Rory O'Donnell, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell, permanently departed Rathmullan in Ireland for mainland Europe, accompanied by their fa ...

and was later found dead in

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

, possibly killed by an English assassin.

Family

Brian O'Neill was the son of Irish lord

, and his fourth wife Catherine Magennis. Tyrone was

Chief of the Name The Chief of the Name, or in older English usage Captain of his Nation, is the recognised head of a family or clan ( Irish and Scottish Gaelic: ''fine'') in Ireland and Scotland. Ireland There are instances where Norman lords of the time like ...

of the

O'Neill clan The O'Neill dynasty ( Irish: ''Ó Néill'') are a lineage of Irish Gaelic origin that held prominent positions and titles in Ireland and elsewhere. As kings of Cenél nEógain, they were historically one of the most prominent family of the Nor ...

, Tír Eoghain's ruling

Gaelic Irish The Gaels ( ; ; ; ) are an Insular Celtic ethnolinguistic group native to Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. They are associated with the Gaelic languages: a branch of the Celtic languages comprising Irish, Manx, and Scottish Gaeli ...

noble family. Catherine, Countess of Tyrone, was born into the

Magennis Magennis (), also spelled Maguiness or McGuinness, is an Irish surname, meaning the "son of Angus", which in eastern Ulster was commonly pronounced in Irish as ''Mag''/''Mac Aonghusa''. A prominent branch of the '' Uíbh Eachach Cobha'', the Ma ...

family of

Rathfriland Rathfriland () is a market town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is north-east of Newry town centre. History In older documents written in English, the town's name was usually spelt ''Rathfylan'' or ''Rathfrilan''.

. Brian had two full-brothers, Conn and

Shane Shane may refer to: People * Shane (name), a masculine given name and a surname, including a list of people and fictional characters with this name * Shane (actress) (born 1969), American pornographic actress * Shane (New Zealand singer) (born ...

. Born , Brian was Tyrone's youngest son. Shane was born in 1599, and Conn was born .

Flight of the Earls

Brian, Shane and their parents took part in the

, leaving Ireland for mainland Europe in September 1607. Conn could not be located in time, and was left behind in Ireland. As the Irish refugees travelled through Europe, Brian and Shane were left in

Leuven Leuven (, , ), also called Louvain (, , ), is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipalit ...

in the care of Irish

Franciscans The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor being the largest conte ...

. Their parents continued to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. The brothers were raised at St Anthony's College in the company of fellow infant nobles Hugh Albert O'Donnell (son of

Rory O'Donnell, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell Rory O'Donnell, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell (Irish language, Irish: ''Rudhraighe'' ''Ó Domhnaill''; 1575 – 28 July 1608), was an Gaelic Ireland, Irish Gaelic lord and the last lord of Tyrconnell prior to the Plantation of Ulster. He succeeded his ...

) and Hugh O'Donnell (son of Cathbarr O'Donnell). At the age of nine, Brian became a

page Page most commonly refers to: * Page (paper), one side of a leaf of paper, as in a book Page, PAGE, pages, or paging may also refer to: Roles * Page (assistance occupation), a professional occupation * Page (servant), traditionally a young m ...

to Archduke

Albert VII, Archduke of Austria Albert VII (; 13 November 1559 – 13 July 1621) was the ruling Archduke of Austria for a few months in 1619 and, jointly with his wife, Isabella Clara Eugenia, sovereign of the Habsburg Netherlands between 1598 and 1621. Prior to this, he had ...

Death

At 6pm on 16 August 1617, Brian was found dead in his bedroom in

. His death was under suspicious circumstances, as he had been hanged with his hands tied behind his back. His tutor, Fr. Nicholas Aylmer, was absent as he had gone to procure lodgings for him near the summer residence of the archdukes. Ensign Cormack (brother to

Owen Roe O'Neill Owen Roe O'Neill ( Irish: ''Eoghan Ruadh Ó Néill;'' – 6 November 1649) was a Gaelic Irish soldier and one of the most famous of the O'Neill dynasty of Ulster. O'Neill left Ireland at a young age and spent most of his life as a mercenary ...

) attended the youngsters and was investigated, but no foul play was determined. According to historians Casway and Dunlop, at the time, his cause of death was not conclusively proven. However, Fr. Donagh Mooney wrote that "the inquest was held, and it was shown beyond doubt that the boy was foully murdered".

Paul Walsh Paul Anthony Walsh (born 1 October 1962) is an English former professional footballer who now works as a television pundit. A pacey and skilful forward, he scored a total of 127 goals in 521 league games in a 17-year career in the English Fo ...

calls Brian's death an "assassinat on.

John O'Hart John O'Hart (; 1824–1902) was an Irish historian and genealogist. He is noted for his work on ancient Irish lineage. He was born in Crossmolina, County Mayo, Ireland. A committed Roman Catholic and Irish nationalist, O'Hart had originally pl ...

says Brian was "strangled in his bedroom in Brussels... by an English assassin". Conversely, Jerrold Casway states that Brian died "as the result of an accident during a children's game". Brian was thirteen years old at the time of his death, predeceasing his mother Catherine. His death caused great despair and isolation in his mother, who had lost her husband only the previous year. Brian's body was brought to Leuven and buried at St Anthony's College. Fr. Mooney described Brian as "a fair child, in sooth,... devout, fond of books, learned men, military science, in which, had God spared him, he might one day have rivalled his illustrious father".

References

Citations

Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * {{refend 1600s births 1617 deaths Deaths by hanging Flight of the Earls