Hugh McHugh Dubh O'Donnell (; c. 1537-1618) 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 ...

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 ...

in modern-day

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...

. He was the younger brother of

Manus O'Donnell Manus O'Donnell ( Irish: ''Maghnas Ó Domhnaill'' or ''Manus Ó Domhnaill''; 1490 – 9 February 1563) was a Gaelic Irish lord and King of Tyrconnell. After his father Hugh Dubh's death in 1537, Manus succeeded as Tyrconnell's ruler.The Edi ...

, the ruler of Tyrconnell between 1537 and 1555. When his brother died, Hugh Dubh unsuccessfully challenged for the

lordship A lordship is a territory held by a lord. It was a landed estate that served as the lowest administrative and judicial unit in rural areas. It originated as a unit under the feudal system during the Middle Ages. In a lordship, the functions of eco ...

, which was held by his two nephews, Calvagh O'Donnell and

Sir Hugh O'Donnell Hugh McManus O'Donnell ( Irish: ''Sir Aodh mac Maghnusa Ó Domhnaill''; – 7 December 1600) was a Gaelic Irish nobleman, best known as the father of Hugh Roe O'Donnell. He was clan chief of the O'Donnell clan and Lord of Tyrconnell during th ...

. He was supported in his claim by Miler Magrath who suggested that his seniority in the family made him the rightful candidate. Hugh Dubh's powerbase was in northern Donegal, between the River Lennon and the River Swilly. He held castles at Cahir Anuske and Ramelton. He was able to survive attacks by rival O'Donnell claimants but was unable to gain the support of the Crown for his claims because he was regarded as untrustworthy. He again challenged for the lordship of the O'Donnell's against his great-nephews Sir Donnell O'Donnell and

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 ...

. Ironically Hugh Dubh was a foster-father to Hugh Roe.Darren McGettigan (2005), ''Red Hugh O'Donnell and the Nine Years' War'' In 1593, he was forced to acknowledge the succession of Hugh Roe after he captured his stronghold of Beleek and executed sixteen of his leading supporters.Morgan p.133-34 Hugh Dubh was still in possession of a large amount of land by the time of the

Ulster Plantation The Plantation of Ulster (; Ulster Scots: ) was the organised colonisation (''plantation'') of Ulstera province of Irelandby people from Great Britain during the reign of King James VI and I. Small privately funded plantations by wealthy lan ...

. He is noted for his long life, outliving many of his O'Donnell rivals across several generations.

References

Bibliography

* Morgan, Hiram. ''Tyrone's Rebellion''. Boydell Press, 1999. 16th-century Irish people 17th-century Irish people People of Elizabethan Ireland Year of birth unknown 1618 deaths People from County Donegal

Hugh Hugh is the English-language variant of the masculine given name , itself the Old French variant of '' Hugo (name)">Hugo'', a short form of Continental Germanic Germanic name">given names beginning in the element "mind, spirit" (Old English ). ...

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