Maria da Conceição Infante de Lacerda Pereira de Eça Custance O'Neill (

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 ...

, 19 November 1873 – 23 March 1932) was a Portuguese writer, poet, journalist, and

spiritualist Spiritualism may refer to: * Spiritual church movement, a group of Spiritualist churches and denominations historically based in the African-American community * Spiritualism (beliefs), a metaphysical belief that the world is made up of at least ...

of Irish descent.

Family

Maria O'Neill was the daughter of Carlos Tomás O'Neill (Lisbon, Encarnação, 6 December 1846 – ?) and wife (m. 1873) Maria Carlota Pereira de Eça Infante de Lacerda (Lisbon, 15 July 1852 – Lisbon, 1921), daughter of José António Pereira de Eça and wife Maria da Conceição Infante de Lacerda, and paternal granddaughter of Carlos Torlades O'Neill (30 April 1820 (

Baptized Baptism (from ) is a Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by sprinkling or pouring water on the head, or by immersing in water either partially or completely, traditionally three ...

Lisbon, São Paulo, 13 May 1822) – ?) and wife (m. Lisbon, Encarnação, 4 November 1845) Adelaide Carolina Custance (Lisbon, Santiago, 15 September 1821 – ?), daughter of Thomas Parsons Custance, an English

subject Subject ( "lying beneath") may refer to: Philosophy *''Hypokeimenon'', or ''subiectum'', in metaphysics, the "internal", non-objective being of a thing **Subject (philosophy), a being that has subjective experiences, subjective consciousness, or ...

(married secondly to his aunt Ludovina Cecília O'Neill), and first wife Antónia Eugénia Barbosa de Brito. She had a younger brother Carlos Torlades O'Neill (Lisbon, 13 December 1874 – ?),

Merchant A merchant is a person who trades in goods produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Merchants have been known for as long as humans have engaged in trade and commerce. Merchants and merchant networks operated i ...

in Lisbon, where he lived single, Company Administrator, Member of the Administration Council of the Companhia de Seguros Previdente, married to Laura Moreira, without issue, and two aunts, Adelaide O'Neill (? – termo of

Setúbal Setúbal ( , , ; ), officially the City of Setúbal (), is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population of the entire municipality in 2014 was 118,166, occupying an area of . The city itself had 89,303 inhabitants in 2001. It lies withi ...

, her Quinta dos Bonecos, 14 November 1865), unmarried and without issue, and Ethelinda O'Neill, unmarried, and without issue. She was a great-granddaughter of José Maria O'Neill, the titular head of the Clanaboy O'Neill dynasty, whose family has been in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

since the 18th century, and wife Ludovina de Jesus Alves Solano.

Career

O'Neill was a writer, poet and journalist. She was also a spiritualist, member of the Superior Deliberative Council of the ''Federação Espírita Portuguesa'' and member of the Editorial Office of the magazine ''Espiritismo''. She died on the

high seas The terms international waters or transboundary waters apply where any of the following types of bodies of water (or their drainage basins) transcend international boundaries: oceans, large marine ecosystems, enclosed or semi-enclosed regiona ...

, on the Atlantic Ocean, on board of the ''General Osório'', travelling from

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

back to Portugal after giving one of her Spiritualist Conferences. She became a member of the Lisbon Academy of Sciences, was a vegetarian, and was initiated into

Theosophy Theosophy is a religious movement established in the United States in the late 19th century. Founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and based largely on her writings, it draws heavily from both older European philosophies such as Neop ...

, a mystical school or initiatory movement that proposed that all religions arose from common stem teachings while seeking knowledge about the mysteries of human existence, the beginning of life and nature, and later became interested in spiritism, to which she devoted a large part of her existence until the end of her days. She was also a vegetarian, and a member of the Lisbon Academy of Sciences.

Marriage and issue

She married in Lisbon in 1890 António de Bulhões (c. 1870 – ?), a civil servant, and had four children:''Raízes e Memórias'', Associação Portuguesa de Genealogia, Lisboa, N.º 5, pg. 97 * Maria Antónia Pereira de Eça O'Neill de Bulhões, married firstly to an English

, divorced, without issue, and married secondly to Francisco de Sousa, without issue * Luís Pereira de Eça O'Neill de Bulhões, married to French Madeleine Chayac, without issue * José António Pereira de Eça O'Neill de Bulhões (Lisbon, c. 1890 – Lisbon), a bank worker, and wife Maria da Glória Vahia de Barros de Castro (17 March 1905 – aft. October 1989), daughter of Dr. Alberto de Barros e Castro,

Medical Doctor A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the study, diagnosis, prognosis ...

(whose father declined the title of

Viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty. In the case of French viscounts, the title is ...

of Soares de Castro), and wife (m. 1904) Maria da Graça de Sousa Vahia (9 December 1882 – ?), and had two children: ** Maria Amélia Vahia de Castro O'Neill de Bulhões, a

Nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...

** Alexandre Manuel Vahia de Castro O'Neill de Bulhões (Lisbon, 19 December 1924 – Lisbon, 21 August 1986), writer and poet * Maria Francisca Pereira de Eça O'Neill de Bulhões, unmarried and without issue

References and notes

External links

Maria da Conceição Infante de Lacerda Pereira de Eça Custance O'Neill's Genealogy in a Portuguese Genealogical site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Oneill, Maria 1873 births 1932 deaths Writers from Lisbon Connachta O'Neill dynasty Portuguese nobility Portuguese people of British descent Portuguese people of Irish descent Portuguese women poets Portuguese women writers

Family

Career

Marriage and issue

See also

References and notes

External links