Donal IV O'Donovan facts for kids

Donal IV O'Donovan, also known as Daniel O'Donovan, was an important leader of the O'Donovan family in Ireland. He was called "The O'Donovan of Clancahill." He lived a long time ago, in the late 1600s. His father was Donal III O'Donovan, and his mother was Gyles (Sheela) O'Shaughnessy.

Donal O'Donovan's Life and Work

Serving in Parliament

Donal O'Donovan was a Member of Parliament (MP) for a place called Baltimore in County Cork, Ireland. This was in 1689, during the time of King James II. This special meeting was called the Patriot Parliament. Other family members, like Jeremiah O'Donovan and Daniel O'Donovan, also served in this Parliament.

After the Parliament, Donal was declared an "outlaw" in 1691. This meant he lost some rights because of his support for King James II. At that time, he was known as a gentleman from Benlahane, which is now called Bawnlahan. This was where his family lived. Later, Donal's grandson, Daniel, changed the name of the family home to Castle Jane. He did this when he married Jane Becher.

Leading an Army Regiment

Donal O'Donovan was also a soldier. He served during the Siege of Cork, which was a big battle. He was a Deputy Governor at Charles Fort in Kinsale. This fort had a large group of 1200 soldiers. He worked under Sir Edward Scott. Donal's own group of soldiers, called his regiment, also helped prepare for another big battle, the Siege of Limerick.

Donal O'Donovan's Family Life

Donal IV O'Donovan was likely Catholic, as he was part of King James II's Parliament. However, his wives were not from Gaelic Irish families. This might have helped him keep his lands during a difficult time. His family also started to become more "Anglicized," meaning they adopted English customs. This helped them keep their property when there were strict Penal Laws against Catholics.

Donal was married two times.

First Marriage

His first wife was Victoria Copinger. She was the daughter of Captain Walter Copinger. Donal and Victoria had one daughter:

• Helena, who married her second cousin, Conn (Cornelius) O'Donovan of Montpellier.

Second Marriage

In 1665, Donal married Elizabeth Tonson. She was the daughter of Major Richard Tonson. Donal and Elizabeth had several children:

Daughters from Second Marriage

• Sarah, who married Samuel Morris.
• Honora, who married Richard O'Donovan.
• Catherine, who married Cornelius Curtain.
• Elizabeth, who married Daniel O'Leary.

Sons from Second Marriage

• Richard I O'Donovan
• Daniel, who sadly died when he was young.
• Barry, who also died when he was young.
• Cornelius (Conor), who married Honora. She was the daughter of O'Sullivan MacFineen Duff. Cornelius died in 1737. He was sometimes called Conchobhar-na-Bhuile, which means "of the madness." He lived in a place called Achres.
  • Richard
    • Cornelius, who died in 1841. He was the last male descendant in this line.
  • Honoria, born in 1741.