Matthew O'Neill, 1st Baron Dungannon
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Matthew O'Neill, Baron Dungannon Feardorcha Ó Néill | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1520 Ulster, Ireland |
| Died | 1558 Ulster, Kingdom of Ireland |
| Cause of death | Assassinated |
Matthew O'Neill, 1st Baron Dungannon (alias Matthew Kelly, alias Feardorcha Ó Néill; 1520–1558), was an Irish
Birth and origins
Mathew was born about 1510, a son of Alison Kelly (née Roth) in Dundalk, the wife of a blacksmith in Dundalk.[1] 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.[2]
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Marriage and children
Around 1536 Matthew married Siobhan, daughter of Cú Chonnacht Maguire, lord of Fir Manach.[5]
Matthew and Siobhan had three sons:
- Brian (died 1562), called Lord Dungannon, de jure 2nd Earl of Tyrone, murdered[6]
- 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
Conflict with Shane O'Neill
This arrangement was disputed by Matthew's legitimate half-brother
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 blacksmith from Dundalk named Kelly. Shane tried to show Matthew's claims were weak under both the English law of primogeniture 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
- ^ O'Byrne 2009, 1st paragraph, 1st sentence. "O'Neill (Ó Néill), Matthew (Feardorcha) (c.1510–1558), 1st baron of Dungannon , was eldest (and disputed) son of Conn Bacach O'Neill ..."
- ^ O'Byrne 2009, 1st paragraph, 3rd sentence. "When he was about 16, Alison presented Matthew to Conn, who acknowledged him as his son and heir"
- ^ Burke 1866, p. 608–609. Genealogies of the earls of Tyrone
- ^ Cokayne 1896, pp. 448–470. Genealogies of the earls of Tyrone
- ^ Cokayne 1896, p. 449. "He m. [married] Joanna, da. [daughter] of Constantiue Maguire."
- ^ Burke 1866, p. 608, right column. "I. Bryan, murdered by McDonnell."
- ^ O'Byrne, Emmett. "O'Neill (Ó Néill), Matthew (Feardorcha)", Dictionary of Iris Biography
- ^ Brady 2002, p. 67. "... Shane O'Neill had crushed any hope that the baron of Dungannon would succeed peacefully to the earldom of Tyrone ..."
- ^ Morgan 1993, p. 19. "In practice Conn was unable to pass on his earldom. Matthew, though supported militarily by the government, was killed by followers of Shane O'Neill, the tánaiste or successor under Gaelic custom."
Sources
- Brady, Ciaran (2002) [1st pub. 1996]. The Chief Governors: The Rise and Fall of Reform Government in Tudor Ireland 1536–1588. Cambridge: ISBN 0-521-46176-6.
- OCLC 11501348.
- OCLC 1180891114. – S to T
- Morgan, Hiram (1993). Tyrone's Rebellion: The outbreak of the Nine Years' War in Tudor Ireland. London: ISBN 0-86193-224-2.
- O'Byrne, Emmet (October 2009). McGuire, James; Quinn, James (eds.). "O'Neill (Ó Neill), Matthew (Feardorcha)". Dictionary of Irish Biography. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
