Matthew O'Neill, 1st Baron Dungannon (alias ''Matthew Kelly'', alias ''Feardorcha Ó Néill''; –1558), was an Irish

aristocrat The aristocracy (''from Greek'' ''ἀριστοκρατία'' ''aristokratía'', "rule of the best"; ''Latin: aristocratia'') is historically associated with a "hereditary" or a "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the ...

. He was accepted by Conn O'Neill as his natural son. Matthew was challenged by his half-brother Shane O'Neill over the succession to the Earldom of Tyrone and was murdered by some of his supporters.

Birth and origins

Mathew was born about 1510, a son of Alison Kelly (''née'' Roth) in

Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ) is the county town of County Louth, Ireland. The town is situated on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the north-east coast of Ireland, and is halfway between Dublin and Belfast, close to and south of the bor ...

, the wife of a

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

. At the age of sixteen, Matthew was presented to Conn O'Neill, with whom Kelly had previously had an affair. Tyrone accepted that Matthew was his natural son.

Marriage and children

Around 1536 Matthew married Siobhan, daughter of Cú Chonnacht Maguire, lord of Fir Manach. Matthew and Siobhan had three sons: #

Brian Brian (sometimes spelled Bryan (given name), Bryan in English) is a male given name of Irish language, Irish and Breton language, Breton origin, as well as a surname of Occitan language, Occitan origin. It is common in the English-speaking world. ...

(died 1562), called Lord Dungannon, ''de jure'' 2nd Earl of Tyrone, murdered # Hugh (c. 1550 – 1616), who succeeded as the 3rd Earl of Tyrone # Cormac (died 1613) Matthew also had an illegitimate son: * Art MacBaron O'Neill (died 1618)

Baron Dungannon

As part of the

surrender and regrant During the Tudor conquest of Ireland (c.1540–1603), "surrender and regrant" was the legal mechanism by which Irish clans were to be converted from a power structure rooted in clan and kin loyalties, to a late-Feudalism, feudal system under t ...

policy brought in 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. ...

, his father was in October 1542 made Earl of Tyrone with Matthew confirmed as his heir and made Baron of Dungannon. Both visited London to formally submit to the King.

Conflict with Shane O'Neill

This arrangement was disputed by Matthew's legitimate half-brother Shane O'Neill, who had a larger and more powerful following. Shane's violent response crushed the government's hope for a peaceful succession. Matthew was killed by Shane's men in 1558. At some point between May and August 1558, English statesman Sir Henry Sidney organised the retrieval of Dungannon's sons Brian and Hugh, and for a brief time they stayed at Sydney's Dublin residence. Dungannon's father Conn O'Neill died in 1559.The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica (12 April 2024)
"Conn O’Neill, 1st earl of Tyrone"
''

Encyclopedia Britannica An encyclopedia is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge, either general or special, in a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into article (publishing), articles or entries that are arranged Alp ...

''. Archived fro
the original
on 12 August 2024. In his attempts to gain recognition of the title of Earl of Tyrone from the Crown, Shane suggested that Matthew had not really been Conn's son, and his real father was a

from

named Kelly. Shane tried to show Matthew's claims were weak under both the English law of

primogeniture Primogeniture () is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn Legitimacy (family law), legitimate child to inheritance, inherit all or most of their parent's estate (law), estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some childre ...

as well as the Gaelic custom of the strongest member of the family inheriting. Shane received some recognition of his role as head of the Ó Néills, but he was never made an earl. Shane was killed by the MacDonnells of Antrim in 1567.

Notes and references

Notes

Citations

Sources

* * * * * – S to T * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dungannon, Matthew Ó Néill, 1st Baron 1558 deaths 16th-century Irish nobility Assassinations in Ireland Barons in the Peerage of Ireland O'Neill dynasty Peers of Ireland created by Henry VIII People from County Tyrone