1580–1592 Tyrconnell succession dispute

From 1580 to 1592, the Gaelic kingdom of Tyrconnell was embroiled in a violent succession dispute.

In 1561, Hugh McManus O'Donnell seized power from Calvagh O'Donnell via an alliance with Shane O'Neill. Upon Calvagh's death in 1566, Hugh McManus officially acceded as Lord of Tyrconnell under brehon law.^[1]

Hugh McManus's eldest son, Hugh Roe, was born in 1572.^[2] Hugh Roe was fostered by Conn O'Donnell.^[3]

Tyrconnell's long-running succession dispute began in October 1580.^[4]

Conn had a strong claim to the lordship as his father Calvagh was a prior ruler of Tyrconnell.^[5] Hugh Roe was removed from Conn's care when he turned hostile towards the ruling O'Donnells in 1581;^[6] Conn died two years later and Hugh Roe's succession seemed assured.^[7] Nevertheless, Conn's sons, particularly Niall Garve, looked to the English government as a means of restoring their branch of the family to power.^[8] By 1587, Hugh Roe was widely considered to be his father's most likely successor and was tanist of the O'Donnell clan.^[9]

By 1587, Hugh Roe was betrothed to the Earl of Tyrone's daughter Rose.^[3] Lord Deputy John Perrot feared that the emergence of a powerful O'Neill-O'Donnell alliance, which would be cemented by Hugh Roe's marriage to Rose, would threaten English control over Ulster.^[10] Perrot ordered young O'Donnell's kidnapping in 1587 in hopes of destroying this alliance.^[11] O'Donnell was imprisoned in Dublin Castle, along with two MacShanes, Art and Henry. Tyrone lobbied for O'Donnell's release,^[11] describing the ordeal as "the most prejudice that might happen unto me".^[12]

Hugh McManus's premature senility^[13] and Hugh Roe's imprisonment exacerbated the succession dispute.^[4] Three of Conn's sons were violently killed in the conflict.^[14] Hugh McManus's wife, Iníon Dubh effectively took over Tyrconnell and ruled in her husband's name.^[15] She pushed successfully for Hugh Roe to become her husband's successor by spreading the Aodh Eangach prophecy and by directing her Redshanks to kill any challengers.^[16] Hugh MacEdegany, a reputed illegitimate son of Calvagh O'Donnell,^[17] was the first major challenger.^[18] He was assassinated on Iníon Dubh's orders during a visit to her residence, Mongavlin Castle, in May 1588,^[19] leaving Niall Garve as head of the "MacCalvagh" branch.^[20]

Further disruptions developed as the government appointed various administrators in Tyrconnell who ransacked and pillaged the kingdom. Perrot appointed William Mostian as Sheriff of Tyrconnell—he quickly carried out eight cattle raids, ransacking Donegal Abbey and murdering its guardian. Later the same year, FitzWilliam gave Captain John Connill charge of Tyrconnell^[21] after being bribed with two Spanish gold chains.^[22] Connill assisted the opponents of the ruling O'Donnells. He was later joined by Captain Humphrey Willis and two hundred soldiers.^[21] At one point Connill befriended then captured Hugh McManus, but he was freed by Niall Garve.^[23] Another brutal administrator was Captain Bowen, a notorious torturer who fried the soles of his victims' feet. This chaos created mass resentment towards the English government.^[24]

Hugh Roe's elder half-brother Donal became the Crown's favored candidate for the chiefdom, and shortly after the Armada's shipwreck, FitzWilliam knighted and appointed Donal as Sheriff.^[25] FitzWilliam also imprisoned important Tyrconnell nobles Sean O'Doherty (Lord of Inishowen) and Eoin O'Gallagher, believing them to possess Spanish treasure from the Armada.^[26] O'Gallagher's imprisonment also had political motivations as he was a major adherent of Hugh Roe during the succession dispute.^[27] Donal made an effort to depose his father, backed by Connill's troops. Iníon Dubh, backed by her Redshanks and the clans of the Cenél Conaill who remained loyal to her husband, crushed Donal at the Battle of Doire Leathan on 3 September [N.S. 14 September] 1590.^[28]

Willis (who replaced Donal as Sheriff) and Connill exploited the ensuing chaos. They took control of western Tyrconnell and began raiding into the east,^[25] accompanied by a Captain Fuller.^[29] Their forces also ransacked southern Tyrconnell and forced many of the population to flee to the mountains.^[24]

Iníon Dubh bought off Niall Garve with a political marriage to her daughter Nuala, in an attempt to temper his hostility.^[30][31][32] By 1592, Niall Garve was in a strong position to claim Tyrconnell's lordship.^[33] Despite the continual presence of freebooting government troops, Tyrconnell's nobility remained obsessed with their succession conflict.^[34]

Hugh Roe eventually escaped prison and returned to Tyrconnell in early 1592; Tyrone had bribed officials in Dublin to secure his release.^[35] On 23 April [N.S. 3 May] 1592 at Kilmacrennan Friary,^[36] Hugh Roe was inaugurated as O'Donnell clan chief before an audience of his family and their supporters.^[37] Hugh McManus's apparently voluntary abdication was "stage-managed" by Iníon Dubh, who remained the "head of advice and counsel" in Tyrconnell.^[37] Hugh Roe's younger brother Rory was appointed as tanist.^[38]

The major surviving opponents to Hugh Roe's succession—including Niall Garve, Hugh McHugh Dubh and Sean O'Doherty—did not attend the inauguration out of protest. At the time, Niall Garve was in Dublin unsuccessfully seeking support from authorities.^[37] Tomás G. Ó Canann noted that, as Hugh Roe O'Donnell failed to secure the attendance of such a significant chunk of the Cenél Conaill, his inauguration was arguably illegitimate.^[39] With the exception of Niall Garve in 1603, Hugh Roe was the last O'Donnell clansman to be traditionally inaugurated as clan chief.^[40] Hugh Roe was the last Lord of Tyrconnell to rule undisputedly.^[41]