Donal Cam O'Sullivan Beare facts for kids
Donal Cam O'Sullivan Beare (born 1561, died 1618) was a famous Irish leader and soldier. He was the last independent chief of his family, the O'Sullivan clan. This meant he was the last "O'Sullivan Beare," a special title for Irish nobles. He was also the Lord of the Beara Peninsula in southwest Ireland. This was a time when the English Crown was trying to take full control of Ireland.
Becoming a Leader
Donal's father died in 1563. Donal was too young to become the leader then, so his uncle Eoin took charge. Eoin was even knighted by the English Queen Elizabeth I. But in 1587, Donal said he should be the leader. He used English laws to prove his claim. These laws said that the oldest son should inherit, no matter how young he was. The English government in Dublin agreed, and Donal became the head of the O'Sullivan clan.
The Nine Years' War
By 1600, many parts of Ireland, especially Munster, had been badly damaged by fighting. Many Irish Catholic families had lost their land to English Protestant settlers.
At first, Donal O'Sullivan tried to stay out of the war. But soon, he joined other Irish chiefs like Hugh O'Neill and Red Hugh O'Donnell. This war, called the Nine Years' War, had started in 1594. The Irish chiefs got help from the King of Spain. In 1601, Spanish soldiers arrived in Ireland. Donal wrote to the Spanish king, promising his loyalty, but the English found the letter.
In early 1602, the Irish and Spanish forces fought the English at the Battle of Kinsale. The Irish and Spanish were defeated.
Donal decided to keep fighting. He took control of Dunboy Castle. But in June 1602, English forces attacked Dunboy. The castle fell after a short fight. All the Irish defenders were killed or hanged.
O'Sullivan's Long March
Donal was not at Dunboy Castle when it fell. He had gone to meet with Hugh O'Neill. Because the English knew he had written to the Spanish king, Donal knew he would not be pardoned. So, he continued to fight using quick attacks and surprise raids.
He also had a stronghold on Dursey Island. English soldiers attacked it and killed all 300 people there, including women and children. This was known as the Dursey Island massacre.
After losing Dursey and Dunboy, Donal O'Sullivan Beare gathered his remaining followers. On December 31, 1602, he began a long march north. He started with about 1,000 people, hoping to reach Lord Tyrone in Ulster.
He fought many battles as he moved north through Ireland. The English army and their Irish allies chased him. The march was very hard. Donal's people were starving and freezing in the winter. They had to search for food in a countryside already ruined by war. Sometimes, they had to fight other desperate people for food.
Donal and his group crossed the River Shannon in the dark of night. They built a boat from animal skins and hazel sticks in just two days. After two weeks of hard marching and fighting, they reached a castle in West Breifne on January 14, 1603. Only 35 of the original 1,000 people were left. Many had died from battles, cold, or hunger. Others had left the group along the way. Donal Beare had marched over 500 kilometers.
In County Leitrim, Donal O'Sullivan Beare wanted to join other northern chiefs to fight the English. But the war ended when Tyrone signed a peace treaty. Like many other Irish nobles, Donal chose to leave Ireland. He sailed to Spain. Today, a long walking trail called the Beara-Breifne Way follows the path of his famous march.
Life in Exile
When Donal arrived in Spain, King Philip III welcomed him. His title as a prince was confirmed, and he became a general in the Spanish army. His nephew, Philip O'Sullivan Beare, wrote an important book in Latin about Ireland in 1618.
In 1618, Donal O'Sullivan Beare was killed in Madrid, Spain. He was leaving church when a man named John Bathe attacked him. Bathe was an Anglo-Irishman from Dublin. Some say Bathe was seeking revenge because Donal's nephew had hurt him in a duel. Others claimed Bathe was a spy for the English Crown.
Donal O'Sullivan Beare was known as a great Irish soldier. His reputation helped other Irish soldiers from his family in the future. About 165 years later, a man named John Sullivan, who was thought to be a descendant of Donal, became a general in the American Revolution.
See also
- O'Sullivan
- Eóganachta
- Irish nobility
