Conn Ruadh O'Neill (c. 1602 – in/after 1622), also known as Conn na Creige,[1] was an Irish noble of the seventeenth century.
A son of Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, he was left behind during the Flight of the Earls and eventually imprisoned in the Tower of London.
Family background
editConn Ruadh O'Neill was the son of Irish lord Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone,[1][2] leader of the Irish confederacy during the Nine Years' War (1594–1603).[3][4] The O'Neill dynasty were the most powerful Gaelic family in Ireland.[5] Conn's mother was Tyrone's fourth wife Catherine O'Neill, Countess of Tyrone, of the Magennis family of Iveagh.[6] Conn had two full-brothers, Brian and Shane.[2][1]
According to historian Paul Walsh, "Conn O'Neill is commonly believed to have been Tyrone's youngest son; but he was seven or eight years old in 1609 and consequently born before Brian". This would mean Conn was born around 1602.[1] Historian Jerrold Casway corroborates this with his statement that Conn was five years old at the time of the Flight of the Earls,[7][8] which occurred in September 1607.[3]
Family's flight from Ireland
editConn was left behind when Tyrone, Catherine and other supporters departed Ireland during the Flight of the Earls in 1607.[7][8][9] The flight was apparently a snap decision on Tyrone's part.[3] Tyrone sent out messengers to gather his children from their foster-families.[7] However, Conn was living with his foster-family and could not be located in time.[7][8] O'Neill "sought him diligently, but... was overtaken with shortness of time."[8][10] His mother Catherine was particularly upset by Conn's absence and reluctant to leave Ireland.[11][8]
Life in England
editLord Deputy Arthur Chichester charged Sir Tobias Caulfeild with taking Conn into the custody of the Crown. Caulfeild kept the boy under close surveillance, in case any Irish relatives attempted to interfere with the boy's anglicised upbringing.[10] Conn was kept in Castle Caulfield.[12] In a letter to Dublin's Privy Council dated 4 July 1609, Chichester suggested that the children of former Irish confederacy members should be sent to England and put to trades, so that they might "forget their fierceness and pride." Chichester referenced Conn specifically; "there is a son of the Earl of Tyrone of some seven or eight years old". Chichester declared that the best course would be "to send [the children] to some remote parts of England or Scotland to be kept from the knowledge of friends or acquaintances."[13]
However, Conn quickly became the focus of plots to make him the figurehead of an uprising, notably the Ulster Conspiracy of 1615.[citation needed] Allegedly, a goal of the conspiracy was "to take away Conn ne Kreigy O Neile, son to the Earl of Tyrone, from Charlemont."[13] In order to prevent this plot, King James I sent Conn to England to attend Eton College.[13][9] He was educated there as a Protestant.[9]
Following the death of three of his elder brothers in exile, Conn moved up the line of succession.[citation needed] His father died in Rome in 1616,[3] and Conn's elder brother Shane was recognised by the Spanish as the successive Earl of Tyrone.[14]
Tower of London
editOn 12 August 1622, Conn was committed to the Tower of London.[13] Conn was held in the Tower with a number of his relatives of the O'Neill and O'Donnell dynasties and may have lived in some comfort as was common for a nobleman. It is not known exactly when he died, or whether he was ever released. The last record of him is from 1622.[15] Historian Robert Dunlop believes this is when Conn died.[9] Historian Jerrold Casway believes Conn died in the Tower.[16][12]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Walsh 1930, p. 31.
- ^ a b Casway 2016, p. 73.
- ^ a b c d Morgan, Hiram (September 2014). "O'Neill, Hugh". Dictionary of Irish Biography. doi:10.3318/dib.006962.v1. Archived from the original on 26 September 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica (12 April 2024). "Hugh O'Neill, 2nd earl of Tyrone". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 12 July 2024.
- ^ Morgan 1993, p. 86-87.
- ^ Casway 2016.
- ^ a b c d Casway 2016, p. 74.
- ^ a b c d e Casway 2003, p. 61.
- ^ a b c d Dunlop 1895, p. 196.
- ^ a b Walsh 1930, p. 31-32.
- ^ Casway 2016, p. 74-75.
- ^ a b Casway 2016, p. 76.
- ^ a b c d Walsh 1930, p. 32.
- ^ Walsh 1974.
- ^ Casway 1984, p. 27.
- ^ Casway 2003, p. 62.
Bibliography
edit- Casway, Jerrold (1984). Owen Roe O'Neill and the Struggle for Catholic Ireland. University of Pennsylvania Press.
- Casway, Jerrold (2003). "Heroines or Victims? The Women of the Flight of the Earls". New Hibernia Review / Iris Éireannach Nua. 7 (1): 56–74. ISSN 1092-3977. JSTOR 20557855.
- 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. ISSN 0488-0196.
- 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.
- McCavitt, John. The Flight of the Earls. Gill & MacMillan, 2002.
- Morgan, Hiram (1993). Tyrone's Rebellion: The Outbreak of the Nine Years War in Tudor Ireland. Boydell Press. ISBN 0851156835.
- 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.
- Walsh, Micheline (1974). "The Will of John O'Neill, Third Earl of Tyrone". Seanchas Ardmhacha: Journal of the Armagh Diocesan Historical Society. 7 (2): 320–325. doi:10.2307/29740847. JSTOR 29740847.
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