Philip O'Sullivan Beare (, –1636) was a military officer descended from the

Gaelic nobility of Ireland This article concerns the Gaelic nobility of Ireland from ancient to modern times. It only partly overlaps with Chiefs of the Name because it excludes Scotland and other discussion. It is one of three groups of Irish nobility, the others bei ...

, who became more famous as a writer. He fled to

Habsburg Spain Habsburg Spain refers to Spain and the Hispanic Monarchy (political entity), Hispanic Monarchy, also known as the Rex Catholicissimus, Catholic Monarchy, in the period from 1516 to 1700 when it was ruled by kings from the House of Habsburg. In t ...

during the time of Tyrone's Rebellion, when the

Irish clan Irish clans are traditional kinship groups sharing a common surname and heritage and existing in a lineage-based society, originating prior to the 17th century. A clan (or in Irish, plural ) included the chief and his patrilineal relatives; howe ...

s and

Gaelic Ireland Gaelic Ireland () was the Gaelic political and social order, and associated culture, that existed in Ireland from the late Prehistory of Ireland, prehistoric era until the 17th century. It comprised the whole island before Anglo-Norman invasi ...

were making their last stand against

Tudor England Tudor most commonly refers to: * House of Tudor, Welsh and English royal house of Welsh origins ** Tudor period, a historical era in England and Wales coinciding with the rule of the Tudor dynasty Tudor may also refer to: Architecture * Tudor a ...

. He subsequently authored the book, the ''Catholic History of Ireland'', which offered a history from the perspective of the native

Irish Catholic Irish Catholics () are an ethnoreligious group native to Ireland, defined by their adherence to Catholic Christianity and their shared Irish ethnic, linguistic, and cultural heritage.The term distinguishes Catholics of Irish descent, particul ...

population.

Biography

Philip O'Sullivan Beare was born in Dursey in County Cork, the son of Dermot O'Sullivan and nephew of

Donal Cam O'Sullivan Beare Donal Cam O'Sullivan Beare, Prince of Beare, 1st Count of Berehaven (; 1560 – 16 July 1618) was an Irish nobleman and soldier who was the last independent Chief of the Name of Clan O'Sullivan. He was thus the last ''O'Sullivan Beare'', a title ...

, Prince of Beare. The O'Sullivans owned and controlled much of the

Beara Peninsula Beara () or the Beara Peninsula is a peninsula on the south-west coast of Ireland, bounded between the Kenmare River (which is actually a bay) to the north side and Bantry Bay to the south. It contains two mountain ranges running down its ce ...

and

Valentia Island Valentia Island () is one of Republic of Ireland, Ireland's most westerly points. It lies in Dingle Bay off the Iveragh Peninsula in the southwest of County Kerry. It is linked to the mainland by the Maurice O'Neill Memorial Bridge at Portmagee ...

in south-western Ireland. Sent to Spain in 1602, Philip O'Sullivan Beare was educated at Compostela by Vendamma, a Spaniard, and John Synnott, an Irish Jesuit. He served in the Spanish army. In 1621, he published his ''Catholic History of Ireland'', a work which is described as "deliberately polemical", and in the ''

Catholic Encyclopedia ''The'' ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'', also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedi ...

'' as "not always reliable, but valuable for the Irish wars of the author's own day". He also wrote a ''Life of St. Patrick'' (in 1629), a confutation of

Gerald of Wales Gerald of Wales (; ; ; ) was a Cambro-Norman priest and historian. As a royal clerk to the king and two archbishops, he travelled widely and wrote extensively. He studied and taught in France and visited Rome several times, meeting the Pope. He ...

and a reply to

James Usher James Ussher (or Usher; 4 January 1581 – 21 March 1656) was the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland between 1625 and 1656. He was a prolific Irish scholar and church leader, who today is most famous for his ...

's attack on his ''History''. He died in Spain . In a letter from Peter Talbot he was described as the "Earl of Birhaven" who left "daughter of twelve years to inherit his titles in Ireland and his goods".

Works

Works written by O'Sullivan Beare include: * O'Sullivan Beare, Philip,
Historiae Catholicae Iberniae
'. Spain. 1621. Edited by

Matthew Kelly Matthew Kelly (born David Allan Kelly, 9 May 1950) is an English actor and television presenter. Having been trained as a theatre actor, he first came to public prominence as a television sitcom actor, game-show panellist and television prese ...

1850, Dublin: Printed by John O'Daly. Portion translated into English by Matthew J. Byrne 1903, titled
Ireland under Elizabeth
', and also

'. Dublin: Sealy, Bryers & Walker. * O'Sullivan Beare, Philip, Zoilomastix. Spain. 1625. Translated into English by Denis O'Sullivan 2009, titled ''The Natural History of Ireland''. Cork: Cork University Press.

Biography

Works

Footnotes

References

Notes

Soures

Further reading