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Historical Criticism of the Life Hugh Roe O'Donnell
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 July 2016
Extract
In the ‘ Testimonium ’ prefixed to the ‘ Annals of the Four Masters ’, and signed by four Franciscan friars, the chief of whom was Bernardine O'Clery, guardian of the convent of Donegal in 1636, there is an enumeration of the principal sources from which the latter portion of the annals was compiled. The last-mentioned of these sources was the ‘ Book of Lughaidh Ó Clérigh ’, which the friars say covered the period 1586–1602. This book, we are to infer from the notice, was written in the form of annals. The other sources referred to are described in such a way as to show that they too were written in annalistic form.
The ‘ Book of Lughaidh Ó Clérigh ’, unlike some others utilized on the same occasion, has come down to us. It is now known as the ‘ Life of Hugh Roe O'Donnell ’, though that title does not appear in the sole authoritative manuscript. Indeed, the form of annals is preserved throughout, though it is not emphasized in the edition published by Denis Murphy in 1893.
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References
page no 229 note 1 RIA, MS. 138 (23 P 24). See RIA, Cat. Ir. MSS. (fasc. iv), pp. 396–7
page no 229 note 2 Dates occur in the margun of the MS., from the inauguration of O'Donnell (1592) the end of the work (1602).
page no 229 note 3 Edward O'Reilly, ‘ A chronological account of nearly 400 Irish writers … to 1750 ’ in Irans. lberno-Celtic Soc.,i. cxc.
page no 229 note 4 Of the Iberno-Celtic Society.
page no 230 note 1 For the later history of the MS. and its transcript, see RIA, Cat. Ir. MSS. (fasc. iv), pp. 396–9. The transcript is now RIA, MS. 139 (23 P 9). The English translation (never completed) is now RIA, MS. 140 (24 D 14), and a copy is in BM, Eg. MS. 123. See also RIA, MS. Catalogue of Irish MSS. of the RIA by Eugene O'Curry, series 1, vol. ii. p. 474.
page no 230 note 2 AFM,v.1864.
page no 230 note 3 AFM,vi. 1899 (bis.), 1914, 2067, 2068, 2099, 2121, 2129, 2134, 2208, 2280, 2296, 2297
page no 230 note 4 AFM, i. xxvii.
page no 230 note 5 AFM.
page no 230 note 6 AFM.
page no 230 note 7 Ibid.
page no 231 note 1 RIA, MS. 790 (23 D 17), f. 78V.
page no 231 note 2 See my Gleanings from Irish Manuscripts, p. 75. This MS, is now in the Franciscan Library, Merchant's Quay, Dublin.,
page no 231 note 3 Nat, Lib. Ire., Gaelic MS. 167 (formerly Phillipps MS. 23068 ; see Nat. Lib. Ire., Report of Council of Trustees, 1930–1, p. 26), p. 284. The date, 1662, is in quatrain 41. The poems in this MS. addressed to members of the O'Donnell family are listed in appendix ii of ‘ O Donnell Genealogies ’ in Analect. Hib.,no. 8, p. 373. On the question of authorship, see ‘ The Four Masters ’ in Ir. Book Lover, xxii. 128 and ‘ What we know of Cuchoigcriche O Cléirigh ’, ibid., xxiii. 60 ; also ‘ The O Clerys of Tirconnell ’ in Studies, xxiv. 244.
page no 231 note 4 O'Curry, MS. Materials, p. 22. In 1844, in giving an account of Lughaidh O'Clery, in his Tribes and Customs of Hy Fiachrack, O'Donovan was not aware that the ‘ Book of Lughaidh O Clerigh ’ was identical with the ‘ Life of Hugh Roe O'Donnell ’, and was extant. He merely says (p. 82) : ‘ Lughaidh wrote Annals of his own time, which the Four Masters state were used by them in their Annals ’
page no 231 note 5 MS. Materials, p. 22, n. 16.
page no 232 note 1 Op. cit., p. 397. Cf. O'Curry, MS. Materials, pp. 178–9.
page no 232 note 2 RIA, MS. 66 (23 M 5), p. 247. See RIA, Cat. Ir. MSS. (fasc. ii), p. 190.
page no 232 note 3 RIA, MS. 790 (23 D 17), p. 271. RIA, Cat. Ir. MSS. (fasc. xx), p. 2502. See O'Curry, MS. Materials, pp. 178, 560.
page no 232 note 4 See articles already quoted in Ir. Book Lover, xxiii. 60, and Studies, xxiv. 244 ; also ‘ MSS. of the Four Masters (RIA, 23 P 6 and 7) ’ in Ir Book Lover, xxiv. 81.
page no 233 note 1 RIA, MS. 138, f. 82V (Murphy's edition, pp. 316–9). See ‘Life of Aodh Ruadh O Domhnaill ’, in Jr. Book Lover, xxv. 102.
page no 234 note 1 Cal. Pat. Rolls, Ire., Jas. I, p. 382.
page no 234 note 2 Analect. Hib., no. 8, p. 211.
page no 234 note 3 Iomarbhagh na bhFileadh ; the Contention of the Bards, ed. Rev. L. McKenna (Ir. Texts Soc, vol. xx), p. 137.
page no 234 note 4 Rury O'Donnell, earl of Tyrconnell, died in 1608 ; O'Neill survived until 20 July 1616 (Ir. Book Lover, xxii. 4).
page no 234 note 5 Ibid., p. viii.
page no 234 note 6 Ibid., p. x.
page no 235 note 1 Brussels, Bibliotheque Royale, MSS. 6131–33, described by Meyer in Ériu, iv. 183. See also article in IERecord, series 5, vol. xxxiii, pp. 563–75; vol. xxxv, pp. 58–71 ; vol. 1, pp. 50–8. For the text see ZCP, xiv, 213–69 ; also Irisleabhar Muighe Nuadhat, 1932, pp. 43–52, and ibid., 1933, pp. 34–41.
page no 236 note 1 This appears from an entry in ‘ Short annals of Tirconaill ’ in Ir. Book Lover, xxii. 105
page no 236 note 2 This is borne out in The history of that most eminent statesman Sir John Perrot, ed. Richard Rawlinson (1728), pp. 277–80.
page no 236 note 3 Cal. Carew MSS., 1589–1600, p. 48. Standish O'Grady, in Red Hugh's captivity (1889), p. 186, and Flight of the Eagle (1897), p. 138, makes the two Felim O'Tooles into one.
page no 237 note 1 Op. cit., p. 19.
page no 237 note 2 Cal. S.P. Ire., 1588–92, p. 462.
page no 237 note
page no 237 note 3 Historiae Gatholicae Iberniae Compendium, a D, Philippo Osullevano Bearro Iberno (1621), ff. 125–6.
page no 237 note 4 Cal. S.P. Ire., 1586–8, p. 442. And see Bagwell, Tudors, iii. 197.
page no 237 note 5 A deposition, of 25 June 1593, states that the seneschal O'Hagan and William McCrodan, a brehon of the earl ‘ went to O'Donnell's house to bring the Earl's daughter thither that is married to O'Donnell ’ (Cal. S.P Ire., 1592–6, p. 112). In another document (2 Apr. 1596) there is an allegation of’ Some breach between Tirone and O'Donnell about Tirone's daughter ‘ (ibid., p. 506). According to Marshall Sir Henry Bagenal, ’ Since the” Earl's going to meet the Spanish ship, he and O'Donnell are thoroughly agreed, and their league of friendship is more apparently confirmed, for the satisfying of their followers and dependents, by O'Donnell's receiving of the Earl's base daughter [i.e. reconciliation of husband and wife]. He had formerly refused her, in hope of getting the Earl of Clanrickarde's daughter [see Cal. S.P. Ire., 1592–6, p. 438], and thereby driving the most part of Connaught to have luck fast with them ‘ (Cal. S.P Ire., 1596–7, p. 260, 6 Apr. 1597). ‘ O'Donnell having married his (the Earl's) daughter, whom many yeares he hath cast off for Barronness ’ (Description of Ireland …in anno 1598 (ed. Edmund Hogan), p. 30).
page no 238 note 1 Cal. S.P. Ire., 1588–92, p. 462, 27 Feb. 1592. These officers were Willis, the sheriff of Donegal, Conell and Fuller, whom Thomas Lee (Desiderata Curiosa Hibernica, i. 122) calls ‘ base men … being such as a well advised captain of that kingdom would not admit into any office in his company ’ Fuller is not mentioned in the Life at this point, but Lee's naming of Conell confirms the accuracy of the Irish document in a matter of detail.
page no 238 note 2 Murphy, p. 50.
page no 238 note 3 Cal. S.P. Ire., 1588–92, p. 520. Cf. ibid., pp. 462, 484, 522. O'Donnell sought and was granted a loan for his expenses in going to the lord deputy.
page no 238 note 4 ‘ Submission of Hugh Roe O'Donnell to the Lord Deputy and Council. Promises to live in such obedient sort as his father did and to expel out of his country all strangers. Desires that his estate in his father's room may be confirmed by Her Majesty ’ And : ‘ Articles ministered to Hugh Roe O'Donnell upon his oath, whereunto he most willingly yielded ’ (ibid., p. 570).
page no 239 note 1 Murphy, p. 68.
page no 239 note 2 Cal. S.P. Ire., 1592–6, pp. 202–8).
page no 239 note 3 Anakcta Hibernica, no. 8, p. 388, no, 177.
page no 239 note 4 Ibid., p. 94.
page no 239 note 5 Murphy, p. 58.
page no 239 note 6 Cal. S.P. Ire., 1592–6, p. 386.
page no 239 note 7 Ibid., p. 393.
page no 239 note 8 AFM, vi. 1984. ‘ Great pride in the traitorous Earl of Tirone since he took the name of O'Neill ’ (lord deputy to Burghley, 18 Oct. 1595, Cal. S.P Ire. 1592–6, p. 422). A visit to ‘ the Earl of Tyrone … newly calling himself O'Neale ; it being Thursday, the 18th of September ’ (Examination of Piers O'Cullan, 29 Sept. 1595, ibid., p. 409).
page no 240 note 1 Murphy, p. 68.
page no 240 note 2 What was the part played by Tyrone at this juncture, so far as foreign aid was concerned? He must have known of the need for outside assistance. There is no trace of his at his at this time to Spain, and he was actively fighting on the English side late in 1593.
page no 240 note 3 Op. cit., pp.l–liii.
page no 240 note 4 Murphy, p. li.
page no 240 note 5 ‘ He was sent to Spain by O'Donnell about the time when he attacked Enniskillen Castle ’ (1594), ibid.
page no 240 note 6 Murphy, p. lii.
page no 240 note 7 Cal. S.P. Ire. 1592–6, p. 179.
page no 241 note 1 Murphy, p. 68.
page no 241 note 2 The deputy addressed letters from Dublin on Feb. I and Feb. 3 (Cal. S.P. Ire., 1592–6, pp. 202–8.
page no 241 note 3 Murphy, p. 68.
page no 241 note 4 Cal. S.P. Ire. 1592–6, p. 259.
page no 241 note 5 Ibid., p. 261.
page no 241 note 6 Ibid., p. 262.
page no 241 note 7 Murphy, p. 72.
page no 241 note 8 Cal. S.P Ire., 1592–6, p. 260.
page no 242 note 1 Ibid., p. 267.
page no 242 note 2 AFM vi. 1954.
page no 242 note 3 Translated from the text in the unfinished edition of the Life, in Archiv. Hib., vii, supp., pp. 44–5
page no 243 note 1 Cal. S.P. Ire., 1392–6, p. 327.
page no 243 note 2 Cal. S.P. Ire., 1592–6, pp. 319, 322, 332.
page no 243 note 3 Ibid., p. 328. See ‘ The Battle of Cluain Tiobrad ’ in Ir. Book Lover, xxi. 103.
page no 243 note 4 Murphy, p. 92.
page no 243 note 5 AFM,vi. 1968.
page no 243 note 6 Ibid., p. 1986.
page no 243 note 7 Cal. S.P. Ire., 1592–6, p. 343.
page no 243 note 8 Ibid., p. 344.
page no 243 note 9 Murphy, pp. 108–14.
page no 244 note 1 Murphy, pp. no, 112.
page no 245 note 1 Murphy (p. 115, n. 9) makes the ludicrous comment that this note is in the handwriting of the author.
page no 245 note 2 O'Clery rightly says ‘ it was in May precisely that a certain nobleman, Alonzo Cobos, came from the king of Spain’. In Murphy's translation (p. 117) this is assigned to ‘ the beginning of November ’.
page no 245 note 3 Murphy, p. 114.
page no 246 note 1 Cal. S.P. Ire., 1592–6, p. 450.
page no 246 note 2 Ibid., p. 441.
page no 246 note 3 Murphy, pp. 120–6.
page no 246 note 4 Cal. S.P. Ire., 1592–6, p. 514.
page no 246 note 5 Cal. Pat. Rolls, Ire., Eliz., p, 373
page no 247 note 1 Cal. S.P. Ire., 1592–6, p. 512.
page no 247 note 2 Ibid., p. 515.
page no 247 note 3 Ibid., p. 513.
page no 247 note 4 Ibid., p. 542.
page no 247 note 5 Ibid., p. 543.
page no 247 note 6 Murphy, p. 126.
page no 247 note 7 AFM.
page no 247 note 8 Ibid.
page no 248 note 1 Murphy, pp. 238-44.
page no 248 note 2 Pacata Hibernia (1633), p. 56. And see Cal. S.P. Ire., 1600, p. 265.
page no 249 note 1 Ibid., p. 260. On James Blake (alias Blackcaddell) of Galway, see IE Record, series 5,1. 382–97.
page no 249 note 2 Cal. S.P. Ire., 1600, p. 305.