Iníon Dubh

Irish queen consort

Lady Fiona O'Donnell[a] (Irish: Fionnghuala Ó Dhomhnaill; née McDonnell; fl. 1567–1611), also styled as Dame Fiona O'Donnell, was a Scottish aristocrat and queen consort of Tyrconnell.[2] She is better known by her Irish nickname Iníon Dubh[b] (pronounced in Ulster Irish and Scots Gaelic as in-NEEN DOO; "Black-Haired Daughter").[5][6]

She was the second wife of Sir Hugh McManus O'Donnell, King of Tyrconnell, and mother of eight children, including Hugh Roe, Rory, Nuala and Cathbarr. Her Scottish connections meant she had access to the Redshanks, which she regularly used to subjugate her family's rivals. The Most Rev. Miler Magrath described her as "a cruel, bloody woman who has committed sundry murders".[1]

She had significant influence over the reigns of both her husband and son. Historian Emmett O'Byrne has called Iníon Dubh "one of the most remarkable Gaelic woman of the sixteenth century".[2]

Early life

Fiona was the daughter of James MacDonald, 6th Chief of Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg, and Lady Agnes Campbell. She was raised at the Stuart court in the Kingdom of Scotland, during the time of Mary, Queen of Scots.[7][2] James died in Ireland, on 5 July 1565.[8]

Once Turlough Lynagh O'Neill became Lord of Tír Eoghain, he offered an alliance to the MacDonalds. In November 1567, he asked for either Fiona or Agnes' hand in marriage. By April 1568, the MacDonalds had decided that Agnes would marry O'Neill, and Fiona would marry Sir Hugh McManus O'Donnell, King of Tyrconnell.[2] Fiona married Sir Hugh around 1569.[9] Women in early modern Scotland did not use their husband's surnames after marriage.[10][11]

Queen consort

Iníon Dubh had a major influence in Sir Hugh's lordship. Her powerful connections ensured a healthy recruitment of Scottish Redshanks from Clan Donald to Sir Hugh's armies,[7] and she regularly travelled to Scotland to enlist her kinsmen. In March 1572, her growing power over her husband was noted by government officials. It is believed that Sir Hugh's decision to maintain his alliance with O'Neill was due to her influence.[2]

She bore four sons, including the last two reigning Kings of Tyrconnell, Hugh Roe and Rory. When her husband grew senile in his old age, she took over the effective leadership of the territory.[12] She is described in the Annals of the Four Masters as "like the mother of Machabees who joined a man's heart to a woman's thought".[13]

In May 1580, Sir Hugh and O'Neill sent their wives to Scotland to procure more mercenaries. Iníon Dubh and Agnes' efforts were successful - 2000 Scots arrived in Lough Foyle that August, eliciting much fear in the English.[2]

Political activity

In 1587, her eldest son, Hugh Roe O'Donnell, was kidnapped and imprisoned in Dublin Castle. In his absence, she devoted herself to defending her son's claim to the chieftaincy.[2]

In 1588 she had her nephew, Hugh Gavelach O'Donnell, assassinated. According to the Annals of the Four Masters:

"Hugh had constantly sided with the descendants of Calvagh O'Donnell, who were all conjointly leagued with Turlough Lynagh O'Neill, who was always at war with O'Donnell and his son-in-law, the Earl O'Neill (Hugh, son of Ferdorcha). Moreover, her dearly beloved brother, Alexander, had been, as we have before stated, slain by Hugh, son of the Dean, and besides these she had many other causes of enmity towards him; and it was sickness of heart and anguish of mind to her that revenge was not taken of him for his pride and arrogance. She complained of her troubles and injuries to the Scottish auxiliaries, who were constantly in her service and pay, and who were in attendance on her in every place; and they promised that they would be ready at her command, to wreak vengeance upon their enemies, whenever they should meet with them. Hugh one time happened to be coming up, in pride, vigour, and high spirits (without remembering the spite or the enmity against him ) towards the place where she was, at Magh-gaibhlin. When he had come to the town, she addressed her faithful people, i.e. the Scots; and begged and requested of them to fulfil their promise. This was accordingly done for her, for they rushed to the place where Hugh was, and proceeded to shoot at him with darts and bullets, until they left him lifeless; and there were also slain along with him the dearest to him of his faithful people."[13]

In February 1589, when an English garrison arrived to occupy Donegal Castle, they found it engulfed in flames on Iníon Dubh's orders. She had departed for Scotland to secure additional troops.[2]

In 1590, Iníon Dubh's stepson through her husband's first marriage, Donal O'Donnell, attempted to depose his father and seize power. In response, Iníon Dubh gathered an army of all those still loyal to her husband, including Clan Sweeney, O'Doherty, and many Redshanks from Clan Donald. When their armies came to blows, Donal was defeated and killed by Iníon Dubh at the Battle of Doire Leathan on 14 September 1590. Throughout this period she made repeated attempts to secure Red Hugh's release or escape from Dublin Castle.[7][2]

When Red Hugh finally escaped and returned to Tyrconnell in 1592, Iníon Dubh temporarily bought off the remaining claimant, Niall Garve O'Donnell, with a dynastic marriage to her stepdaughter Nuala O'Donnell. Historian Hiram Morgan has alleged that the coronation of Red Hugh as The O'Donnell Chief of the Name at the Rock of Doon, near Termon, in 1592 was, "a stage managed affair in which the influence of his mother was paramount".[14] According to Kate Newmann, Iníon Dubh's "military strength and influence is seen as the decisive factor" in Hugh Roe's succession as King of Tyrconnell.[1]

Nine Years' War

During Hugh Roe's reign, Iníon Dubh continued to play a major role as a diplomat. In September 1597, Hugh Roe sent her to stop her brother Angus MacDonald from taking revenge on their ally Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone (the Earl had jilted Angus's daughter).[2]

During 1599, she bought arms and once again recruited mercenaries for the Irish alliance. She nursed her husband until his death in 1600.[2]

In June 1601, Hugh Roe appointed her as governor of Sligo Castle. That October, Iníon Dubh and her daughter were captured in Collooney Castle by Sir Henry Docwra. In 1602, Hugh Roe died in Spain and his younger brother Rory submitted. Iníon Dubh was released, and it seems she retired to Mongavlin near Lough Foyle.[2]

Later life and death

In 1608, with all her sons dead, she implicated her estranged and treacherous son-in-law, Niall Garbh, in alleged complicity in O'Doherty's rebellion and saw him sent to the Tower of London until he died there in 1626. In her later years, she also maintained Mongavlin Castle, a small fortress on the banks of the River Foyle, as a residence just south of St Johnston, The Laggan, East Donegal.[2]

She probably died shortly after May 1611, when she was last referenced as receiving land in the Plantation of Ulster.[2]

In popular culture

  • In the 1966 Disney film The Fighting Prince of Donegal, Iníon Dubh was portrayed onscreen by actress Marie Kean.
  • The life of Iníon Dubh is fictionalized in the historical novel Dark Queen of Donegal by Mary Pat Ferron Canes and JR Foley. ISBN 9781950251070.

O'Donnell family tree

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O'Donnell family tree

Issue of Hugh McManus O'Donnell (Aodh mac Maghnusa Ó Domhnaill; c. 1520 - 1600)[i]

First marriage: Nuala O'Neill[α]

  • Duncan "Scaite" O'Donnell (Donnchadh Ó Domhnaill)[η]
  • Rory O'Donnell (Ruaidhri Ó Domhnaill)
    • Died 1575

Second marriage, c. 1569: Fiona MacDonald (Fionnghuala Nic Dhomhnaill, also known as Iníon Dubh; fl. 1567–1611), daughter of James MacDonald, 6th of Dunnyveg and Agnes Campbell.[xxiv][v]

  • Manus O'Donnell (Maghnus Ó Domhnaill)
  • Margaret O'Donnell (Mairghead Ní Domhnaill)
    • fl. 1608, possibly died 1662
  • Gráinne O'Donnell (Gráinne Ní Domhnaill)[θ]

Notes

  1. ^ Historian Francis Martin O'Donnell has named Sir Hugh's first wife as "Nuala, a daughter of O’Neill".[ii]
  2. ^ Concannon believed Siobhán was born c. 1569, and that her mother was Iníon Dubh,[iii] who married Sir Hugh around that time. However, Siobhán married Hugh O'Neill in 1574, making that date of birth unlikely. Casway and Walsh believe Siobhán's mother was Sir Hugh's first wife.[iv][v]
  3. ^ In a letter dated 31 January 1591, O'Neill references Siobhán's recent death.[v]
  4. ^ Her death date has alternately been given as 1639, 26 April 1640, or sometime after 31 March 1642.[v]
  5. ^ Walsh believes her birth date was c. 1588.[v]
  6. ^ Sources disagree on Henry's date of death: 1610,[iv] c. 1620,[xix] or c. 1626.[viii] It is clear that he died sometime before the publication of Philip O'Sullevan's Historia Catholica in 1621.[v]
  7. ^ The historicity of this person is disputed.[xx]
  8. ^ Gráinne is known only as a sister of the Earl (i.e., Rory), with no additional information.[lvi]

References

  1. ^ O'Byrne, Emmett (October 2009). "O'Donnell (Ó Domhnaill), Sir Aodh mac Maghnusa". Dictionary of Irish Biography. doi:10.3318/dib.006332.v1.
  2. ^ "The O'Donnells of Tyrconnell – A Hidden Legacy (Maunsel Irish Research Series) | Academica Press". www.academicapress.com. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  3. ^ a b Concannon, p. 218-219 "Siobhan was probably the eldest of the family, and must have been born not later than 1569." "We know little of Siobhan, who can hardly have been more than one-and- twenty, when she died in 1590."
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Casway 2016
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Walsh 1930
  6. ^ a b Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 2004, p. 511-512
  7. ^ O'Byrne, Emmett; Clarke, Aidan; Barry, Judy (October 2009). "Bagenal (O'Neill), Mabel". Dictionary of Irish Biography. doi:10.3318/dib.006953.v1. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d e Dunlop 1895, p. 196
  9. ^ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 2004, p. 839
  10. ^ Morgan 2014
  11. ^ Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003.
  12. ^ a b Hill 1873, page 222. "Sir Randal Macdonnell was married about the year 1604 to Ellis or Alice O'Neill, the third daughter of Hugh earl of Tyrone. This lady, who was born in 1583, was in her twenty-first year at the time of her marriage, and was younger than either of her sisters, lady Macmahon or Lady Maginnis. She was older than her brother Hugh, the baron of Dungannon."
  13. ^ Cokayne 1910. "[The 1st Earl of Antrim] m., 1604, Alice, da. of Hugh (O'Neill), Earl of Tyrone [I], by his 2nd wife, Joanna, da. of Hugh McManus O'Donnell."
  14. ^ Ohlmeyer, Jane H (2001) [1993]. Civil War and Restoration in the Three Stuart Kingdoms: The Career of Randal MacDonnell, Marquis of Antrim. Dublin: Four Courts Press. p. 359. ISBN 978-0521419789.
  15. ^ Cokayne 1910. "[The 1st Earl of Antrim] m., 1604, Alice, da. of Hugh (O'Neill), Earl of Tyrone [I], by his 2nd wife, Joanna, da. of Hugh McManus O'Donnell."
  16. ^ Ohlmeyer, Jane H (2001) [1993]. Civil War and Restoration in the Three Stuart Kingdoms: The Career of Randal MacDonnell, Marquis of Antrim. Dublin: Four Courts Press. p. 359. ISBN 978-0521419789.
  17. ^ Concannon, p. 218 "The inscription on the tomb in San Pietro in Montorio shows that her eldest child, Hugh, was born in 1585."
  18. ^ Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 1867, p. 459: "..he died unmarried on the 23rd of September, 1609, aged twenty-four... and was buried in the church of St. Peter's in Montorio..."
  19. ^ a b Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 1867, p. 459
  20. ^ Ó Domhnaill, Niall; Na Glúnta Rosannacha (1952), page 87
  21. ^ Annals of the Four Masters: "1590: ...the son of O'Donnell himself, who, being unable to display prowess or defend himself, was slain at Doire-leathan, on one side of the harbour of Telinn, on the 14th of September."
  22. ^ Morgan 1993, page 107
  23. ^ O'Donnell, Francis Martin (2020). What did they really look like? An Iconography of the O'Donnells of Tyrconnell: myth, allegory, prejudice, and evidence. Tyrconnell-Fyngal Publishing.
  24. ^ O'Byrne, Emmett (2009). "MacDonnell (Nic Dhomhnaill), Fiona (Fionnghuala) ('Iníon Dubh')". Dictionary of Irish Biography. doi:10.3318/dib.006337.v1.
  25. ^ Starke 1984, page 3
  26. ^ Donegal County Archives. The Flight of the Earls: Document Study Pack.
  27. ^ Annals of the Four Masters: "1602:...O'Donnell should take the disease of his death and the sickness of his dissolution; and, after lying seventeen days on the bed, he died, on the 10th of September, in the house which the King of Spain himself had at that town (Simancas)...""
  28. ^ a b Morgan, Hiram (October 2009). "O'Donnell, 'Red' Hugh (Ó Domhnaill, Aodh Ruadh)". Dictionary of Irish Biography. doi:10.3318/dib.006343.v1.
  29. ^ a b c Bagwell 1895
  30. ^ a b c O'Byrne, Emmett (October 2009). "O'Donnell (Ó Domhnall), Ruaidhrí". Dictionary of Irish Biography. doi:10.3318/dib.006701.v1. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  31. ^ a b c Webb 1878
  32. ^ a b Silke 2006 "Hugh Albert O'Donnell, born [to Rory and Bridget] about October 1606, was the only son of this marriage, Mary Stuart O'Donnell being born about a year later."
  33. ^ Bagwell 1895 "About ninety persons sailed with the earls, among whom were Tyrconnel's son Hugh, aged eleven months..."
  34. ^ Ulwencreutz, Lars (2013), Ulwencreutz's The Royal Families in Europe V, Lulu.com, p. 136, ISBN 978-1-304-58135-8 "Hugh O'Donnell, 2nd Earl of Tyrconnell (1606-1642) Prince and Lord of Tryconnell".
  35. ^ "O'Donnell, Lady Mary Stuart (b. 1607?, d. in or after 1639), noblewoman". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/20557. Retrieved 24 April 2024. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  36. ^ Casway 2009. Casway gives her birthdate as c. 1575
  37. ^ Concannon, p. 218 "O'Clery tells us that Nuala was already married to Niall Garbh in 1592. This will place her birth-year with some degree of probability about 1577 — not later."
  38. ^ Casway, Jerrold (July 2007). "Women in Flight". History Ireland. 15 (4). Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  39. ^ a b c Casway 2009
  40. ^ O'Sullivan Beare 2008. Philip O'Sullivan Beare notes that Manus's death (October 1600) occurred shortly after Nuala and Niall separated.
  41. ^ a b Dunlop, Robert. "O'Donnell, Niall Garv". Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900. 41.
  42. ^ a b Hill 1873, page 221
  43. ^ Annals of the Four Masters: "1608: Niall Garv O'Donnell, with his brothers Hugh Boy and Donnell, and his son, Naghtan, were taken prisoners about the festival of St. John in this year."
  44. ^ McGurk, John (August 2007). "The Flight of the Earls: escape or strategic regrouping?". History Ireland. 15 (4).
  45. ^ According to the English officials who wrote the Calendar of State Papers, Hugh Roe personally killed Niall Garve's four-year-old son (also his own nephew)
  46. ^ "O'Donnell". 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica. 20. 1911.
  47. ^ Concannon, p. 218 "Manus may have been born about 1579 or 1580. He was old enough to play a man's part in the battle in which he met his death at the hands of Niall Garbh (A.D. 1600)" Lughaidh Ó Cléirigh names the sons in the order of their birth: Hugh Roe, Ruairi, Manus and Cathbar.
  48. ^ Concannon, p. 232
  49. ^ a b c Clavin 2009
  50. ^ Pollard, Albert Frederick. "O'Cahan, Donnell Ballagh". Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900. 41.
  51. ^ a b Gallogy, Dan (1963). "Brian Oge O'Rourke and the Nine Years War". Breifne Journal. 2: 194–195.
  52. ^ a b Casway, Jerrold (1988). "The Last Lords of Leitrim: The Sons of Teige O'Rourke". Breifne Journal. VII: 561–562.
  53. ^ Concannon, p. 218
  54. ^ a b c d e McGettigan 2009
  55. ^ Annals of the Four Masters: "[Flight of the Earls, September] 1607: ...Rose, the daughter of O'Doherty, and wife of Caffar, with her son, Hugh, aged two years and three months..."
  56. ^ O'Donnell, Eunan; Reflection on the Flight of the Earls; Donegal Annual, Bliainiris Dhún na nGall, Journal of the County Donegal Historical Society, No. 58 (2006); pp. 31-44.

Bibliography

  • Bagwell, Richard (1895). "O'Donnell, Rory" . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 41. pp. 444–447.
  • Casway, Jerrold (2009). "O'Donnell, Nuala". Dictionary of Irish Biography. doi:10.3318/dib.006696.v1. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  • Casway, Jerrold (2016). "Catherine Magennis and the Wives of Hugh O'Neill". Seanchas Ardmhacha: Journal of the Armagh Diocesan Historical Society. 26 (1): 69–79. JSTOR 48568219.
  • Clavin, Terry (October 2009). "O'Cahan, Sir Donnell Ballach". Dictionary of Irish Biography. doi:10.3318/dib.006536.v1. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  • Cokayne, George Edward (1910). The Hon. Vicary Gibbs (ed.). The complete peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom : extant, extinct, or dormant. The St. Catherine Press Ltd. p. 174.
  • Concannon, Helena (1920). "'The Woman of the Piercing Wail' (The Lady Nuala O'Donnell)". The Irish ecclesiastical record. 16. Dublin: John F. Fowler.
  • Dunlop, Robert (1895). "O'Neill, Hugh, third Baron of Dungannon and second Earl of Tyrone 1540?–1616". In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. XLII. New York: MacMillan and Co. pp. 188–196. OCLC 8544105.
  • Hill, George (1873). An historical account of the Macdonnells of Antrim: including notices of some other septs Irish and Scotch. Belfast: Archer & Sons. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  • Matthew, H. C. G.; Harrison, Brian, eds. (2004). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: in association with the British Academy: from the earliest times to the year 2000. Vol. 41. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-861411-1.
  • Darren, McGettigan (October 2009). "O'Donnell, Caffar". Dictionary of Irish Biography. doi:10.3318/dib.002288.v1.
  • Morgan, Hiram (September 2014). "O'Neill, Hugh". Dictionary of Irish Biography. doi:10.3318/dib.006962.v1. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  • O'Sullivan Beare, Philip (2008). Chapters towards a History of Ireland in the reign of Elizabeth. Translated by Byrne, Matthew J. CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts.
  • Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland (1867). "PROCEEDINGS AND PAPERS". Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. 5: 459.
  • Silke, John J. (May 2006). "O'Donnell, Rury , styled first earl of Tyrconnell (1574/5–1608)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/20559. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  • Starke, Shirley (1984). Red Hugh: The Story of Hugh Roe O'Donnell (PDF). Valley City, North Dakota: The Aodh Ruadh Ó Domhnaill Guild.
  • Walsh, Paul (1930). Walsh, Paul (ed.). THE WILL AND FAMILY OF HUGH O NEILL, EARL OF TYRONE [WITH AN APPENDIX OF GENEALOGIES] (PDF). Dublin: Sign of the Three Candles.
  • Webb, Alfred (1878). "Rury O'Donnell". A Compendium of Irish Biography.
  • Morgan, Hiram (1993). Tyrone's Rebellion : the outbreak of the Nine Years War in Tudor Ireland. Internet Archive. [London] : Royal Historical Society ; Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK ; Rochester, NY, USA : Boydell Press. ISBN 978-0-86193-224-5.


Notes

  1. ^ Her name can also be anglicised "Finola" or "Finula"[1]
  2. ^ Sometimes written as "Ineen Dubh"[3] or "Ineen Duv"[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c Newmann, Kate. "Finola MacDonald (c.1500 - )". The Dictionary of Ulster Biography. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n O'Byrne, Emmett (October 2009). "MacDonnell (Nic Dhomhnaill), Fiona (Fionnghuala) ('Iníon Dubh')". Dictionary of Irish Biography. doi:10.3318/dib.006337.v1.
  3. ^ Concannon, Helena (1920). "'The Woman of the Piercing Wail' (The Lady Nuala O'Donnell)". The Irish Ecclesiastical Record. 16. Dublin: John F. Fowler: 218.
  4. ^ Starke, Shirley (1984). Red Hugh: The Story of Hugh Roe O'Donnell (PDF). Valley City, North Dakota: The Aodh Ruadh Ó Domhnaill Guild. p. 3.
  5. ^ "History Ireland: Iníon Dubh and Red Hugh O'Donnell on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  6. ^ "Mongavlin Castle". Monreagh Heritage Centre. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  7. ^ a b c Hill, J. Michael (1993). "The Rift within Clan Ian Mor: The Antrim and Dunyveg MacDonnells, 1590- 1603". The Sixteenth Century Journal. 24 (4). The University of Chicago Press: 865–879. doi:10.2307/2541605. JSTOR 2541605.
  8. ^ Barry, Judy (October 2009). "MacDonnell, James". Dictionary of Irish Biography. doi:10.3318/dib.005182.v1. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  9. ^ Walsh, Paul (1930). Walsh, Paul (ed.). THE WILL AND FAMILY OF HUGH O NEILL, EARL OF TYRONE [WITH AN APPENDIX OF GENEALOGIES] (PDF). Dublin: Sign of the Three Candles.
  10. ^ Jenny Wormald, Court, Kirk, and Community (London, 1981), p. 30.
  11. ^ History Workshop, What's in a Surname? Rebecca Mason
  12. ^ Highley, Christopher (1997), Shakespeare, Spenser, and the Crisis in Ireland, Cambridge University Press, p. 103, ISBN 978-0-521-58199-8
  13. ^ a b Annals of the Four Masters
  14. ^ Morgan, Hiram (1999). Tyrone's Rebellion. Rochester, NY: Boydell & Brewer. p. 133. ISBN 0-85115-683-5.
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