Conn Oge O'Donnell (died 1601) was a member of the

O'Donnell dynasty The O'Donnell dynasty ( or ''Ó Domhnaill,'' ''Ó Doṁnaill'' ''or Ua Domaill;'' meaning "descendant of Dónal") were the dominant Irish clan of the kingdom of Tyrconnell in Ulster in the north of medieval and early modern Ireland. Naming ...

of Donegal. He was the youngest son of

Conn O'Donnell Conn McCalvagh O'Donnell (died 13 March 1583) was a member of the O'Donnell dynasty of Donegal. At various points in his turbulent career, Conn either opposed or allied himself with the English Crown, Shane O'Neill or Turlough Luineach O'Neill, ...

, and grandson of

Calvagh O'Donnell Calvagh O'Donnell (; 26 October 1566), eldest son of Manus O'Donnell, was an Irish King of Tyrconnell of the mid-16th century. He was Rí, king and chief of the O'Donnell dynasty based in Tyrconnell in western Ulster. He is best known for his confl ...

who had ruled the O'Donnell lands of

Tyrconnell Tyrconnell (), also spelled Tirconnell and Tirconaill, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland. It is associated geographically with present-day County Donegal, which was officially named ''County Tirconaill'' between 1922 and 1927. At times it also i ...

. During the 1580s he supported the unsuccessful claims of his elder brother

Niall Garve O'Donnell Niall Garve O'Donnell (;. – 1626) was an Irish nobleman and soldier who claimed the lordship of Tyrconnell, alternately a rebel against and ally of English rule in Ireland. He is best known for siding with the English against his kinsman ...

to the chieftainship of the O'Donnells. After initially supporting his rival and cousin the lord of Tyrconnell

Hugh Roe O'Donnell Hugh Roe O'Donnell II (; 20 October 1572 – 30 August 1602), also known as Red Hugh O'Donnell, was an Irish Chief of the Name, clan chief and senior leader of the Irish confederacy during the Nine Years' War (Ireland), Nine Years' War. He was ...

and his ally

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 ...

during Tyrone's Rebellion, Niall switched sides in 1600 to support the Crown forces, in particular the expedition landed under Sir

Henry Docwra Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainment ...

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry, is the second-largest City status in the United Kingdom, city in Northern Ireland, and the fifth-largest on the island of Ireland. Located in County Londonderry, the city now covers both banks of the River Fo ...

. Conn and two other brothers, Hugh Boy and Donal also defected bringing with them as many as a thousand warriors by some estimates. They assisted the Crown's capture of Lifford, a key O'Donnell stronghold, to the outrage of Hugh Roe who killed Niall Garve's young son (and Conn's nephew) in retaliation. Conn played an active role in the fight against Hugh Roe, most notably during the Siege of Donegal in 1601. It was a lengthy and hard-fought conflict during which

Donegal Abbey Donegal Abbey (Irish: ''Mainistir Dhún na nGall'') is a ruined Franciscan Priory in Donegal in Ireland. It was constructed by the O'Donnell dynasty in the fifteenth century and remained a center of Classical Christian education even after its ...

was wrecked by the explosion of barrels of

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, charcoal (which is mostly carbon), and potassium nitrate, potassium ni ...

which had been stored there. During the fighting, Conn was fatally wounded. Although he had supported his elder brother Niall up to this point, he was in his own right an eligible candidate for the lordship of the O'Donnells. Conn died after the siege; Niall wrote on 24 September: "My brother Coyne Ooge is grievously hurt with the fall of a house and I fear will scarce recover."

References

Bibliography

* McGurk, John. ''Sir Henry Docwra, 1564-1631: Derry's Second Founder''. Four Courts Press, 2006. * Morgan, Hiram. ''Tyrone's Rebellion''. Boydell Press, 1993. * 16th-century Irish people 17th-century Irish people People from County Donegal Year of birth unknown 1601 deaths Conn Oge {{Ireland-bio-stub