Donell Dubh Ó Cathail
aniel Duff O'Cahill(c.1580–c.1660) was an Irish musician, a performer on the
Irish harp.
Family
Ó Cathail was the son of a Cormac Ó Cathail, and a nephew or close relative of the
Donell Óge Ó Cathail,
harp
The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orchestras or ...
er to
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 ...
. Harping seems to have been the family profession.
The family may not have been native to
County Cork
County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...
, as Ó Cathail is the name of unrelated families which originated separately in
Galway
Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...
,
Clare,
Kerry,
Tipperary and
Ulster
Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...
.
His wife was Ellen (alive 1664), daughter of Charles MacCarthy and a granddaughter of Richard Barry of Ballinaltig. His known children were:
* David Óg (1586–1604), who had a son, David fitz David Ó Cathail, born 10 March 1605. The child's mother was Ellis, daughter of Richard, Lord Poer.
* James (died 1609)
* Ellen, married Garret fitz John Barry of Leamlara; their descendants were still extant in the 1900s.
* Lodowick, fl. 1621-c.1654.
* Daniel Óge, fl. 1635–1663.
* Richard, fl. 1637.
* Michael, a minor in the 1650s, alive in the 1690s.
Employments
Ó Cathail had a number of successive employments as a household or court harper in Ireland and England. He probably commenced his career in the service of
David de Barry, 5th Viscount Buttevant
David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the Kings of Israel and Judah, third king of the Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy), United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament.
The Tel Dan stel ...
at
Barryscourt Castle.
He spent the years 1607 to 1642 in England. Between 1607 and 1619 he was harper to
Anne of Denmark
Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I. She was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and List of English royal consorts, Queen of Engl ...
, wife of the English king
James I James I may refer to:
People
*James I of Aragon (1208–1276)
* James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327)
* James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu
* James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347)
*James I of Cyprus (1334� ...
in London. He was subsequently with
Henrietta Maria
Henrietta Maria of France (French language, French: ''Henriette Marie''; 25 November 1609 – 10 September 1669) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England, List of Scottish royal consorts, Scotland and Ireland from her marriage to K ...
, wife of
Charles I, between 1629 and 1642.
From his income and pensions he was able to buy land in County Cork and parts of the province 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 ...
, to where he returned to retire.
[Donnelly (2000), pp. 12–15.]
See also
*
Cormac MacDermott (?–1618), harper and composer
*
Ruaidri Dáll Ó Catháin (fl. late 16th/early 17th century), harper and composer
*
Donnchadh Ó Hámsaigh (1695–1807), Irish harper
Bibliography
* Seán Donnelly: "A Cork Musician at the Early Stuart Court: Daniel Duff O'Cahill (c.1580-c.1660), 'The Queen's Harper'", in ''Journal of the Cork Historical and Archaeological Society'', vol. 105 (2000), pp. 1–26.
* Ann Buckley: "Music in Ireland to c.1500", in ''A New History of Ireland'', vol. 1, ed. by Dáibhí Ó Cróinín (Oxford, 2005), pp. 744–813.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:OCathail, Donell Dubh
17th-century Irish male musicians
Irish male harpists
Musicians from County Cork
17th-century Irish harpists