Hugh O'Neill

“ O'Neill himself evaded the English, but Turlough was soon expelled and forced to take refuge in Tyrone, Hugh O'Neill died a natural death in 1230, though he was 'the person that it was least thought would find death otherwise than by the foreigners' (Annals of Ulster, ii. 285) .
The Irish annalists speak of Hugh O'Neill with much exaggeration, as 'a king who had never rendered hostages, pledges, or tribute to English or Irish; who had gained victories over the English, and cut them off with great slaughter ”

“ The 'Annals of Loch Cé' call Hugh the 'most generous king and very best man that had come of the men of Erinn for a long time.' Hugh O'Neill is spoken of as 'worthy future arch-king of Ireland' (Annals of Ulter, ii. 285) ; and in a solitary reference to him in the English records, he is said to have styled himself king of all the Irish of Ireland (Calendar of Documents relating to Ireland, i. No. 1840) . In the same place reference is made to his having been brought into the English king's peace. ”

“ O’Neill Draws the Sword—Victories of Clontibret and Armagh MARSHAL SIR HENRY BAGNAL—one of Elizabeth’s most potent military commanders—had never liked Hugh O’Neill, whom he had often met in London and Dublin, but this hatred of the Irish prince was not shared by the marshal’s fair sister, the Lady Mabel Bagnal, who presided over his mansion at Newry, where were established the headquarters of the English army in Ulster. Lady Mabel was one of the most beautiful of women, and O’Neill, who had become a widower, grew desperately enamored of her. ”

“ THE ULSTER LORDS. Hugh O’Neill owned in fee the counties now styled Derry and Tyrone, with parts of Armagh and Monaghan. In Elizabeth’s reign he tried, after defeating her troops, to bring in King James as Monarch of Ireland; but, when the Scottish ruler came to lawful sway over the Three Kingdoms, the Earl was discerned by Chichester to be an ingrate traitor. O’Neill had just got back his lands by Royal orders after much travail, and had received proof of the clemency of the new King. He was over sixty years of age, and war-worn after a nine years’ campaign. Many of his own clan hated him. ”

“ He was made a major-general in 1649, and but for his Protestantism would have succeeded Owen Roe as chief of the O'Neills. He joined Charles II. at the Hague, and took part in the expedition to Scotland and the Scotch invasion of England in 1652. At the Restoration he received many marks of favour from the king, including grants of land and lucrative monopolies. He died in 1664.
Hugh O'Neill (d. c. 1660) , son of Owen Roe's brother Art Oge, and therefore known as Hugh Mac Art, had served with some distinction in Spain before he accompanied his uncle, Owen Roe, to Ireland in 1642. ”

“ Hugh O’Neill had indeed studied the strength and the weakness of England at head-quarters, and he was consequently destined to be more formidable than any of his predecessors had been. As to Fitzwilliam, he complained bitterly and with very good reason that the unpunished landing of the Scots was no fault of his. He had not been bred up to arms, and why should he be expected to do better than noblemen of great ability and military knowledge, who had failed still more conspicuously? During more than eight years’ banishment he had served the Queen in hated Ireland without bribery or robbery. ”

“ O'Neill's position in Irish history is clearly marked. He is not, like his uncle, Hugh O'Neill, the Irish chieftain of a sept; he is the trained soldier who fights for the independence of his country. Whether he was a great commander there is not sufficient evidence to show. To keep an army together under the circumstances in which he fought was in itself a marvel of skill, and he succeeded in winning with it the one victory obtained by the Irish in the course of the war in which he fought. ”

“ He arranged for assistance to come from Norway in the summer (Shirley, i. 219) , and rejoining Hugh O'Neill took up arms against the English and their Irish ally, Hugh or Aedh, son of Cathal Crobhderg. The Anglo-Irish under the justiciar, Henry of London, archbishop of Dublin, were forced to come to terms, and in consequence William Marshal the younger was sent over to Ireland in June 1224. Marshal took Trim, which was held by William de Lacy [see under Lacy, Hugh de, d. 1186) ] , and sent William Grace to relieve Carrickfergus, which was besieged by Hugh de Lacy. ”

“ O'NEILL, OWEN ROE (1590?–1649) , Irish patriot and general, born about 1590, was the son of Art O'Neill, the younger brother of Hugh O'Neill, earl of Tyrone, whose flight in 1607 was the immediate cause of the plantation of Ulster. Owen Roe, or the Ruddy, as he was called, entered the Spanish military service about 1610 (‘Aphorismical Discovery’ in Gilbert's Contemporary History of Affairs in Ireland, i. 6) . ”

“ The settlers retaliated by acts of violence. All over Ireland the soldiers, left without pay, spoiled and maltreated the unfortunate inhabitants. The Irish, exasperated by their cruelty, longed for someone to take up their cause, and in 1594 a rising in Ulster was headed by Hugh O'Neill, known in England as the Earl of Tyrone. How bitter the Irish feeling was against England is shown by the fact that the other Ulster chiefs, who usually quarrelled with one another, now placed themselves under O'Neill. ”

“ Twenty-four persons were excepted from mercy, some on account of their influence in prolonging the resistance, others as ‘original incendiaries of the rebellion, or prime engagers therein’ (ib. p. 267) . Seven of the excepted were immediately hanged, and others reserved for future trial by civil or military courts. Ireton's severity, however, was not indiscriminate. His ‘noble care’ of Hugh O'Neill, the governor of Limerick, is praised by the author of the ‘Aphorismical Discovery’ (iii. 21) . ”

“ They shed inky tears over the fate of men like Hugh O'Neill and Shane of that family, but the {96} success of either of these would have meant a return to the absurd state of affairs which made Ireland a nation of kingdoms and traitors. O'Neill represented only his own followers, and his success would have bred rivals and imitators. There was no hope of peace or prosperity if the country came under the dominion of men brave on the battlefield and foolish and quarrelsome in their councils. Mere bravery is not statesmanship ”

“ Hugh, who in the family feud with Calvagh had allied himself with O'Neill, now turned round and combined with the English to crush the hereditary enemy of his family; and in 1567 he utterly routed Shane at Letterkenny with the loss of 1300 men, compelling him to seek refuge with the Mac-Donnells of Antrim, by whom he was treacherously put to death. In 1592 Hugh abdicated in favour of his son Hugh Roe O'Donnell (see below) ; but there was a member of the elder branch of the family who resented the passing of the chieftainship to the descendants of Manus O'Donnell's second marriage. ”

“ A remarkable conversation took place between Arnold and Hugh O’Reilly, whom he urged to take the government of the country on himself. Hugh answered that O’Donnell was evil spoken of for assuming the government while his father lived, and that he saw not those punished who killed the Queen’s subjects. Shane O’Neill murdered his father, and procured the murder of his brother, who was five times as valuable to the Crown as any O’Reilly could be. The politicians of the Pale would maintain his half brother against him, and perhaps seek his life. ”

“ O’Neill, accompanied by Richard Tyrrell, the faithful Anglo-Irish leader, rallied the remnants of his clan and attempted to hold again the line of the Blackwater. But the English were now too many to be resisted by a handful of brave men. They 171closed upon him from every side, and advanced their posts through the country, so as to effectually cut him off from communication with Tyrconnel, whose chief on hearing of the death of his noble brother, Red Hugh, in Spain, made terms with the Lord Deputy. So, also, did many other Ulster chiefs, who conceived their cause to be hopeless. ”

“ Out-at-elbows Irish household—upper class—brother, sister, and young step-sister (the heroine) Katherine. Captain Fitzgerald falls in love with Katherine. The elder sister (the woman scorned) filled with jealousy plots to marry K. to a rich elderly suitor. The plot miscarries, and she dies a miserable death. Scene: near the Boyne. Some good descriptions of river scenery.
⸺ THE WAY WOMEN LOVE. Three Vols. (Tinsley) . 1877.
Hugh O’Neill, a Donegal man, after an unsuccessful career as an artist in London, settles near Weirford (Waterford) . ”

“ O'Reilly died at Louvain, probably about 1657.
He married Rose, sister of Owen Roe O'Neill. She is said to have been bitterly inimical to the English, and to have instigated O'Reilly to cruel measures against the captives made by the rebels. By her O'Reilly had an only son, Hugh, who married Margaret, sister of Daniel, third viscount Clare [see under O'Brien, Daniel, first Viscount Clare] . The son may be the Colonel O'Reilly who became governor of Cavan, and was killed fighting for James II in February 1690 (Luttrell, Brief Relation, ii. 17) . ”

“ Soon after died O'Neill's son Hugh, whom the English called Baron of Dungannon. O'Donnell's brother Caffar (Cathbar) died about the same time, and the old chieftain was now left nearly alone to carry on his almost hopeless negotiations. {18} The Irish exiles in Spain, when they heard of the death of the two O'Donnells and young O'Neill, wore mourning publicly, to the utter disgust of Lord Cornwallis, the English ambassador. He remonstrated with the King of Spain against suffering so indecent an exhibition, but received no satisfaction in that quarter ”

“ In 1639 he was returned to parliament for the county of Tyrone. At the time of the rebellion of 1641 he succeeded his father as governor of Fort Charlemont. On 22 Oct. 1641 Sir Phelim O'Neill [q. v.] went to dine with him, and was courteously received; but meantime O'Neill's followers surprised Charlemont. After being retained fifteen weeks a prisoner in Charlemont, he was removed to O'Neill's castle at Kinard, on entering which he was shot dead by Edmund Boy O'Hugh, foster-brother to O'Neill, 1 March 1642. He was succeeded by his brother Robert, who died a few months later. ”

“ As usual, on the death of Hugh O'Connor, the brothers who had fought against him now fought against each other. The Saxon certainly does not deserve the credit of all our national miseries. If there had been a little less home dissension, there would have been a great deal less foreign oppression. The English, however, helped to foment the discord. The Lord Justice took part with Hugh, the younger brother, who was supported by the majority of the Connaught men, although Turlough had already been inaugurated by O'Neill. A third competitor now started up; this was Felim brother to Hugh O'Connor. ”

“ The O’Neills consider wheat a dangerous innovation.
Most of the chiefs of Ulster, who feared the Scots more than they hated the English, paid their respects to Croft at Carrickfergus, and were glad to submit their grievances to his arbitration. Tyrone, O’Donnell—with his two rebellious sons, Calvagh and Hugh—Maguire, the Baron of Dungannon, MacQuillin, O’Neill of Clandeboye, MacCartan, the Savages, Magennis, and others, had complaints to make, and the Lord Deputy patched up their differences for a time ”

“ You'll have to sit on my chest, and that wouldn't help my health any. Come on, Andy. Don't play the fool. I want to talk to you, and I'm going to. [With a grim smile.] A dying man has some rights, hasn't he?
ANDREW— [With a shudder.] Don't talk that way, for God's sake! Remember. [He helps ROB to the chair between his own and RUTH'S.] Easy now! There you are! Wait, and I'll get a pillow for you. [He goes into the bedroom. ROBERT looks at RUTH who shrinks away from him in terror. ROBERT smiles bitterly. ANDREW comes back with the pillow which he places behind ROBERT'S back.] ”

“ Yes, Rob, I see; but won't you go back to bed now and rest?
ROBERT—No. I'm going to see the sun rise. It's an augury of good fortune. [He goes quickly to the window in the rear, left, and pushing the curtains aside, stands looking out. RUTH springs to her feet and comes quickly to the table, left, where she remains watching ROBERT in a tense, expectant attitude. As he peers out his body seems gradually to sag, to grow limp and tired. His voice is mournful as he speaks.] No sun yet. It isn't time. All I can see is the black rim of the damned hills outlined against a creeping greyness. ”

“ You're coming soon, aren't you, Rob?
ROBERT—Yes. I'll be right down. [ANDREW and the CAPTAIN leave. RUTH puts MARY on the ground and hides her face in her hands. Her shoulders shake as if she were sobbing. ROBERT stares at her with a grim, somber expression. MARY walks backward toward ROBERT, her wondering eyes fixed on her mother.]
MARY— [Her voice vaguely frightened, taking her father's hand.] Dada, Mama's cryin', Dada.
ROBERT— [Bending down and stroking her hair—in a voice he endeavors to keep from being harsh.] No, she isn't, little girl. The sun hurts her eyes, that's all. ”

“ The price was now agreed upon, and the purse that accompanied the pursuivant's dress was more than sufficient to satisfy the exorbitant demand of the foreman.
"I may depend upon you, Master Oakley?" said the suspicious steward, pausing at the door.
"By the green wax! may you—Black Jack is a man of honour. As sure as Judge Skipwith sits on the bench, so sure shall I and my men sit in the jury-box. He is a carle to doubt me," said Black Jack, as Calverley shut the door—"Has he emptied his flask? No—by the green wax! he seems to think as little of his wine as his money;" ”