Cathal O'Connor Faly (; – October 1596) was an Irish rebel of noble ancestry. As a young man, O'Connor Faly was a political spy for Catholics in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

. He became a rebel and killed English soldier Henry Mackworth before escaping to Spain in the 1580s, where he joined the

Spanish Armada The Spanish Armada (often known as Invincible Armada, or the Enterprise of England, ) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by Alonso de Guzmán, Duke of Medina Sidonia, an aristocrat without previous naval ...

. Known by the Spanish as Don Carlos, he died in a shipwreck on the 2nd Armada. His claim to the lordship of

Offaly County Offaly (; ) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in honour of Philip II of Spain ...

() was recognised by the Spanish, but not by the English.

Early life and career

Cathal O'Connor Faly was born about 1540 into the O'Connor family, specifically the O'Connor Faly branch of the

Kingdom of Uí Failghe The kingdom of Uí Fháilghe, (early spelling) or (modern spelling), () was a Gaelic-Irish kingdom which existed to 1550, the name of which (though not the territory) is preserved in the name of County Offaly (), Ireland. County Offaly was ...

. The suffix Faly () is used to distinguish them from other O'Connor families. During O'Connor Faly's youth, lands in Uí Failghe were confiscated, shired and renamed to King's County (modern-day

County Offaly County Offaly (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is named after the Ancient Ireland, ancient Kingdom of Uí ...

). His father was

Brian O'Connor Faly Brian O'Connor Faly (; – 1560), also called Bernard, was an Irish noble and Lord of Offaly. O'Connor Faly raided the Pale many times from the early 1520s to the mid-1540s, assuring his political position via alliances with the Earl of Kildare ...

Baron Offaly There have been two creations of the title Baron Offaly, both in the Peerage of Ireland. Two earlier medieval creations as Baron of Offaly existed for an earlier FitzGerald, who owned land in County Kildare, Ireland, including what was then " ...

, and his mother was Lady Mary FitzGerald, daughter of the 9th Earl of Kildare. He had seven brothers—Cormack, Donough, Rory, Teige, Callough, Arte and Rosse. He was also a

foster Foster may refer to: People * Foster (surname) * Foster Brooks (1912–2001), American actor * Foster Moreau (born 1997), American football player * Foster Sarell (born 1998), American football player * John Foster Dulles (1888–1959), America ...

-brother of Richard Tyrrell, who went on to command confederate troops at the

Siege of Kinsale The siege of Kinsale (), also known as the battle of Kinsale, was the ultimate battle in England's conquest of Gaelic Ireland, commencing in October 1601, near the end of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, and at the climax of the Nine Years' War� ...

. O'Connor Faly's family were traditionally the rulers of Uí Failghe.

The Crown The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...

created the title Baron Offaly in the

Irish peerage The peerage of Ireland consists of those Peerage, titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lordship of Ireland, Lord or Monarchy of Ireland, King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great B ...

for O'Connor Faly's father Brian, but forfeited it in 1550 over Brian's insubordination. O'Connor Faly was taken to

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

as a child. In 1560, he accompanied representative

Henri Cleutin Henri Cleutin, seigneur d'Oisel et de Villeparisis (1515 – 20 June 1566), was the representative of France in Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland from 1546 to 1560, a Gentleman of the Chamber of the King of France, and a diplomat in Rome 1564–1566 d ...

to France, and appealed to Catholic Englishman

Francis Throckmorton Sir Francis Throckmorton (155410 July 1584) was a conspirator against Queen Elizabeth I of England in the Throckmorton Plot. Early life He was the son of Sir John Throckmorton, Queen Mary's principal legal counsel, who was himself the seven ...

to intercede for his pardon. On Throckmorton's advice, O'Connor Faly became a spy in the service of

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legit ...

. In 1563, he obtained a grant of Castle Brackland and other lands in King's County.

Rebellion

O'Connor Faly was involved in the

Desmond Rebellions The Desmond Rebellions occurred in 1569–1573 and 1579–1583 in the Irish province of Munster. They were rebellions by the Earl of Desmond, the head of the FitzGerald dynasty in Munster, and his followers, the Geraldines and their allies, ...

, led by James FitzMaurice FitzGerald and the

Earl of Desmond Earl of Desmond ( meaning Earl of South Munster) is a title of nobility created by the English monarch in the peerage of Ireland. The title has been created four times. It was first awarded in 1329 to Maurice FitzGerald, 1st Earl of Desmond, Maur ...

. In response to the

massacre of Mullaghmast The massacre of Mullaghmast () was the mass killing of between 100 and 400 members of the Gaelic nobility of Ireland by Kingdom of England, English forces under the command of Sir Henry Sidney in Mullaghmast, County Kildare in either late 1577 o ...

led by

Francis Cosby Francis Cosby (1510–1580) was an English soldier and settler in Ireland. He has been implicated in the Massacre of Mullaghmast. Life He was the second son of John Cosby of Great Leake, Nottingham. He settled in Ireland in the reign of Henry VIII ...

, who killed over 100 Gaelic nobles, the enraged O'Connor Faly began to carry out attacks against English forces. In April 1582, he killed

Pallas Pallas may refer to: Astronomy * 2 Pallas asteroid ** Pallas family, a group of asteroids that includes 2 Pallas * Pallas (crater), a crater on Earth's moon Mythology * Pallas (Giant), a son of Uranus and Gaia, killed and flayed by Athena * Pa ...

man Donnell McTibbott O'Molloy in a fight, and killed forty-five of his men. O'Connor Faly also burned Sir Edward Harbert's residence in

Durrow Abbey Durrow Abbey is a historic site in Durrow, County Offaly in Ireland. It is located off the N52 some 5 miles from Tullamore. Largely undisturbed, the site is an early medieval monastic complex of ecclesiastical and secular monuments, visible an ...

, King's County. In May 1582, O'Connor Faly and his followers ambushed and captured English Captain Henry (or Humfrey) Mackworth. They met Mackworth at Rosbrye,

County Kildare County Kildare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the Local gove ...

, where he was returning from

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

to Philipstown, under the pretence of parleying with Mackworth. Instead, the group captured him and carried him off to the woods. Lord Deputy Arthur Grey ordered Henry Warren, sheriff of King's County, to command O'Connor Faly to release Mackworth. O'Connor Faly refused, unless his safety could be granted via royal pardon from

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...

Robert Dunlop Stephen Robert Dunlop (25 November 1960 – 15 May 2008) was a Northern Irish motorcycle racer. He was the younger brother of fellow road racer Joey Dunlop and the father of racers William Dunlop and Michael Dunlop. Like his brother, Dunlop ...

stated that when the administration refused, O'Connor Faly had Mackworth put to death.

Philip O'Sullivan Beare Philip O'Sullivan Beare (, –1636) was a military officer descended from the Gaelic nobility of Ireland, who became more famous as a writer. He fled to Habsburg Spain during the time of Tyrone's Rebellion, when the Irish clans and Gaelic Irelan ...

detailed an account in his ''Historiae Catholicae Iberniae''. A day was arranged for Mackworth to produce the pardon. On the day, as agreed, he arrived on horseback and O'Connor Faly arrived on foot with his ally Conal MacGeoghegan. During their parley, Mackworth frequently showed the two men a parchment but refused to let them read it. He began to leave, but O'Connor Faly sprang from the high ground, grabbed him around the neck and dragged him off his saddle to the ground. Mackworth put the parchment in his mouth and started to swallow, to stop O'Connor Faly and MacGeoghegan from reading it. The men pried his jaws open with their hands, and upon reading the parchment, O'Connor Faly discovered it was an order from the Queen for Mackworth to capture and kill him. O'Connor Faly and MacGeoghegan killed Mackworth for his deception. In response to Mackworth's murder, Grey went to war against O'Connor Faly. The rebel and his followers dispersed themselves among the wilderness of Kildare to escape Grey's incoming forces; they planned to remain hidden until winter for a better chance of retaliation. Eventually, the majority of O'Connor Faly's men submitted and received pardons. Only O'Connor Faly, who had no chance of a pardon, continued resisting and eluded every attempt by the garrison at Philipstown to apprehend him.

Exile and death

O'Connor Faly subsequently fled to Scotland in a pinnace; then, disguised as a sailor, he stowed away on a Scottish vessel to Spain. He joined the

under the

Duke of Parma The Duke of Parma and Piacenza () was the ruler of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza, a List of historic states of Italy, historical state of Northern Italy. It was created by Pope Paul III (Alessandro Farnese) for his son Pier Luigi Farnese, Du ...

in the

Spanish Netherlands The Spanish Netherlands (; ; ; ) (historically in Spanish: , the name "Flanders" was used as a '' pars pro toto'') was the Habsburg Netherlands ruled by the Spanish branch of the Habsburgs from 1556 to 1714. They were a collection of States of t ...

. After the Armada's defeat, he returned to Spain. By 1588, he was known as Don Carlos (Carlos being the Spanish variation of Cathal). He is not to be confused with

Carlos, Prince of Asturias Don (title), Don Carlos, Prince of Asturias (8 July 154524 July 1568), was the eldest son and heir apparent of King Philip II of Spain. His mother was Maria Manuela of Portugal, daughter of John III of Portugal. Carlos was known to be mentally u ...

(

Philip II of Spain Philip II (21 May 152713 September 1598), sometimes known in Spain as Philip the Prudent (), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from 1580, and King of Naples and List of Sicilian monarchs, Sicily from 1554 until his death in 1598. He ...

's son commonly known as Don Carlos). In 1595, O'Connor Faly was in

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

, and he received a pension of thirty crowns per month from Philip II. He claimed the lordship of Offaly, which was recognised by the Spanish, but not by the English. During this time he regularly corresponded with

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 ...

, leader of the Irish confederacy during the

Nine Years' War The Nine Years' War was a European great power conflict from 1688 to 1697 between Kingdom of France, France and the Grand Alliance (League of Augsburg), Grand Alliance. Although largely concentrated in Europe, fighting spread to colonial poss ...

. Tyrone sought military reinforcements from Philip II, and he feigned reconciliation with English authorities to buy time for the arrival of Spanish troops. Tyrone submitted a letter from Philip II to

Lord Deputy The Lord Deputy was the representative of the monarch and head of the Irish executive (government), executive under English rule, during the Lordship of Ireland and then the Kingdom of Ireland. He deputised prior to 1523 for the Viceroy of Ireland ...

William Russell as a show of transparency. Philip II soon learned of Tyrone's maneuver and was indignant at this breach of trust. O'Connor Faly assisted Tyrone by tempering the subsequently tense Spanish-Irish relations. In January 1596,

the English Crown The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive government spec ...

received a report that 17 ships were set to take 12,000 Spanish soldiers through

St George's Channel St George's Channel (, ) is a sea channel connecting the Irish Sea to the north and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It separates Wexford on the southeastern corner of Ireland from St Davids in on the southwestern tip of Wales. Origin of nam ...

Lambay Island Lambay Island (), often simply Lambay, is an island in the Irish Sea off the coast of north County Dublin, Ireland. The largest island off the east coast of Ireland, it is offshore from the headland at Portrane, and is the easternmost point ...

, Ireland. O'Connor Faly and Cornelius O'Mulrian,

Bishop of Killaloe The Bishop of Killaloe ( ) is an episcopal title which takes its name after the town of Killaloe in County Clare, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bis ...

, would be on board. In late October 1596, O'Connor Faly embarked the

2nd Spanish Armada The Second Spanish Armada also known as the Spanish Armada of 1596Wernham pp. 139–140 was a naval operation that took place during the Anglo–Spanish War. Another invasion of England or Ireland was attempted in the autumn of 1596 by King Phi ...

at Lisbon with his mother, wife, and children, intending to sail back to Ireland. A storm occurred off

Cape Finisterre Cape Finisterre (, also ; ; ) is a rock-bound peninsula on the west coast of Galicia, Spain. In Roman times it was believed to be an end of the known world. The name Finisterre, like that of Finistère in France, derives from the Latin , mean ...

, and the vessel - the ''Sonday'' - perished in a shipwreck at the port of

Corcubión Corcubión (AGAL ortography: ''Corcubiom'') is a municipality in the province of A Coruña, in the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. It belongs to the comarca of Fisterra. It is located on the river with the same name. History Corcubi� ...

, Galicia. O'Connor Faly and his family drowned.. "...whence returning again to Ireland he perished in the shipwreck of the Spanish fleet at a port of Gallicia, which is commonly called Corcubion ''Corruna''."; . "...the vessel—the Sonday—in which he sailed was wrecked, and he himself drowned."; . "... a fearful storm occurred off Cape Finisterre, and thirty-one of the vessels were wrecked; among those who were drowned were Cathal O'Connor, his mother, his wife, and his children..."; . "This O'Connor drowned trying to sail back to Ireland during the Nine Years' War." Reports of his death reached the English by November.

Early life and career

Rebellion

Exile and death

References

Notes

Citations

Sources

Further reading

See also