Dermot O Daly, was a
Gaelic
Gaelic (pronounced for Irish Gaelic and for Scots Gaelic) is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". It may refer to:
Languages
* Gaelic languages or Goidelic languages, a linguistic group that is one of the two branches of the Insul ...
-Irish landlord, ancestor of
Baron Dunsandle and Clanconal, fl. 1574 – 10 November 1614.
Background
Dermot was the son of Teige, son of John O Daly, who built Killimor
keep
A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residen ...
during the reign of
Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...
. Nothing more is known for certain of his ancestry. Pedigrees considered dubious by recent historians claim his descent from the bardic
Ó Dálaigh
The Ó Dálaigh () were a learned Irish Bardic poetry, bardic family who first came to prominence early in the 12th century, when Cú Connacht Ó Dálaigh was described as "The first ''Ollamh'' of poetry in all Ireland" (''ollamh'' is the title g ...
.
James Noel Dillion speculates that "Dermot O’Daly was a ''chancer'', whose rapid advancement was due to the success of the Presidency of Connaught and his ability to turn opportunity to advantage. … he was an ardent crown supporter and the supposed stability which would accrue as a repercussion of adopting English customs and laws."
Active life
He was first recorded in the fiant of 1570, along with others of the name, located at Laragh in the parish of Killimordaly. He and his family were consistently listed as ''the
Earl of Clanricarde
Earl of Clanricarde ( ; ) is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Ireland, first in 1543 and again in 1800. The former creation became extinct in 1916 while the 1800 creation is extant and held by the Marquess of Sligo since 19 ...
's men''. For services to the government, on 21 June 1578
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 ...
granted him "the entire Manor or Lordship of Lerra with all the towns and castles belonging". O Daly maintained his own militia, perhaps provided
coyne and livery
Coign and livery or coyne and livery () in Gaelic Ireland was the free entertainment which a chief exacted from his subjects for his servants and followers. Originally in Brehon law it took the form of a feast held when the chief passed through a s ...
for president of Connacht. The east road of Athenry known as the Laragh Road, points to the strategic significance of O Daly's castle. He is listed in 1581 among the gentlemen of
Connacht
Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...
owning "arrearages of chief rent" to the sum of 96 pounds, 9 shillings and 1 penny.
His lands were devastated by
Hugh Roe Ó 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 ...
in January 1597, hundreds of cattle stolen, his tenants and neighbours killed, or afterwards died of starvation. He fought under Clanricarde on the side of the English at the
Battle 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 ...
in 1601.
After 1603
In the subsequent peace after the end of the war, O Daly adapted to English modes of agriculture, and attracted families with trades/skills to settle in his area. He promoted the techniques of drainage, quarrying, land cleared of scrub, and hay harvesting to reduce pastoralism in winter.
Children
* Teige of Killimor married Sisily Kelly of Gallagh and had children. They completed Killimor Castle in 1624, recorded on O Daly Marriage Stone, preserved at Killimor Church. Teige died in 1642.
* Dermot of Clonbrusk Castle, Athenry, married and left children.
* Donagh of Laragh, ancestor of the Raford and Dunsandle families
* Fergananim of Oughtercluny, Clonfert, married and had children.
* Godfrey of Newcastle, Athenry, ancestor of the Dalysgrove and Castle Daly families.
Descendants
*
Denis Daly (M.P.), 1748-1791
*
St George Daly
St George Daly (1758 – December 1829) was an Irish judge, who had a reputation for ignorance of the law. He owed his career advancement entirely to his support for the Act of Union 1801, which did nothing to enhance his standing in the leg ...
(1758-1829)
*
Robert Daly, D.D., 1783–1872
*
James Daly, 1st Baron Dunsandle and Clanconal (1782-1847)
*
Dominick Daly
Sir Dominick Daly (11 August 1798 – 19 February 1868) was a British colonial public servant and administrator during the 19th century, who held positions in British North America, History_of_Tobago, Tobago and South Australia.
Born in I ...
, 1798–1868
-
External links
* http://www.iol.ie/~mfinn/killimorcastle.html
References
* BLAKE, MARTIN J.
Families of Daly of Galway with Tabular Pedigrees” Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society 13, no. 3/4 (1927): 140–140.
* ''As The Centuries Passed: A History of Kiltullagh 1500–1900'', ed. Kieran Jordan, 2000
** ''The life and times of Dermot O'Daly'', James Noel Dillon.
** ''The Killimor Dalys'', James Noel Dillon
* ''The Daly Chronicle'', Dermot Daly, in ''The Irish Genealogist''
volume 11 part i, 2002, pp. 3–12.
* ''Clare Bards, Galway Gentry'', Patrick Melvin, op. cit., pp. 13–15
{{DEFAULTSORT:O Daly, Dermot
People from County Galway
Irish landlords
17th-century Irish landowners
16th-century Irish landowners