Hugh Maguire (Lord of Fermanagh) facts for kids

Aodh Mag Uidhir, also known as Hugh Maguire (died 1600), was an important Irish leader. He was the chief of the Maguire clan and the Lord of Fermanagh in Ireland. This was during the time of Elizabeth I, the Queen of England. Hugh Maguire fought against the English efforts to take control of Ireland. He died in battle during the Nine Years' War.

Who Was Hugh Maguire?

Hugh Maguire was a powerful leader in Ulster, a province in northern Ireland. His home region, Fermanagh, was full of forests, lakes, and rivers. This made it hard for outsiders to enter. The English government tried to control the Irish clans. In 1586, Maguire agreed to pay a large number of cattle to the English Crown. This was part of an agreement for peace.

Early Life and Challenges

In 1587, Hugh Maguire and his forces fought against a group of Scottish invaders in County Down. Later, he also had conflicts with other Irish leaders. In 1588, he worked with other Irish chiefs and even some Spanish people. This happened after Spanish ships were wrecked on the Irish coast. He was also involved in a plan against another Irish leader, Con MacShane O'Neill.

Becoming a Leader in Fermanagh

In 1589, Hugh Maguire became the Lord of Fermanagh after his father. He believed his lands, especially the islands in Lough Erne, were safe from attack. The English governor, Sir William Fitzwilliam, wanted to send his own law officers, called sheriffs, into Fermanagh. Maguire famously replied that if his people harmed the sheriff, he would make sure the country paid for it. He felt he had already paid enough to keep the sheriff out.

Despite this, Captain Willis was made sheriff with 100 soldiers. Maguire resisted, even trapping the sheriff and his men in a church. Another powerful Irish leader, Hugh O'Neill, had to step in to help. Fitzwilliam then declared Maguire a traitor and took control of Enniskillen.

Fighting for Control

Hugh Maguire was encouraged by the Catholic Archbishop of Armagh, Edmund MacGauran. He then invaded Connacht, a province to the west. He met the English army led by Sir Richard Bingham.

The Battle of Sciath na Feart

This battle took place at Tulsk on a foggy day. The two armies were very close before they even knew it. Bingham's men retreated, and Maguire chased them. However, Maguire's forces were eventually pushed back. The Irish lost Archbishop MacGauran in this fight. Maguire returned to Fermanagh with some captured goods.

Later, in 1593, Maguire was hurt while trying to stop English forces from crossing the river Erne. In June 1594, he laid siege to Enniskillen with Hugh Roe O'Donnell, another important Irish chief. An English attempt to help the Enniskillen soldiers failed. Maguire defeated them at the Arney River in a battle known as the Battle of the Ford of the Biscuits. The next year, he caused damage in County Cavan and was again declared a traitor by the English.

The Nine Years' War

Hugh Maguire played a big part in the Nine Years' War (1595–1603). This was a major conflict between Irish chiefs and the English Crown.

Key Battles in the War

In 1595, Maguire fought in the Battle of Clontibret. This was an important early victory for the Irish. He also led the cavalry (soldiers on horseback) at Mullaghbrack in 1596. Later that year, he offered to surrender to the English government.

In 1598, Maguire was a commander at the Battle of the Yellow Ford. In this battle, the English army was completely defeated, and their commander, Sir Henry Bagenal, was killed. In 1599, Maguire helped raid Thomond and captured Inchiquin Castle in County Clare.

His Final Stand

In early 1600, Hugh Maguire led the cavalry for Hugh O'Neill in campaigns in Leinster and Munster. On February 18, he was stopped near County Cork by Sir Warham St Leger. Maguire managed to kill St Leger, but he himself died a few hours later from his own injuries. Many of his close companions and soldiers also died in this fight.

Maguire's death was a big loss for the Irish side. He was known for his advanced ideas about how to use cavalry in battle.

What Happened Next?

Hugh Maguire had married Margaret O'Neill, the daughter of Hugh O'Neill. However, his younger brother, Cuchonnacht, became the next leader. After the English broke some agreements, Cuchonnacht left Ireland with Hugh O'Neill in 1607. This event is known as the Flight of the Earls. Cuchonnacht died in Italy in 1608.

After this, most of Fermanagh was taken by the English Crown. It was then settled by English and Scottish people. This was part of a plan called the Plantation of Ulster.

Maguire's poet, Eochaidh Ó hÉoghusa, wrote a sad poem about his death. Here are some lines from it, translated later:

Tho’ he were even a wolf ranging the round green woods,
Tho’ he were even a pleasant salmon in the unchainable sea,
Tho’ he were a wild mountain eagle, he could scarce bear, he,
This sharp sore sleet, these howling floods.

The Annals of the Four Masters, a historical record from around 1630, praised him greatly. They called him "the bulwark of valour and prowess" and "the shield of protection and shelter" for his people.

In Literature

Hugh Maguire is remembered in literature. For example, in an 1861 poem called Eirinn a' Gul ("Ireland Weeping"), Scottish poet Uilleam Mac Dhunlèibhe recalled stories of Irish heroes. He wished that the Irish fighters of his time had the same heroic qualities as leaders like Hugh Maguire, Hugh O'Neill, and Red Hugh O'Donnell. These leaders fought bravely against Queen Elizabeth I during the Nine Years' War.

Sources

• Richard Bagwell, Ireland under the Tudors 3 vols. (London, 1885–1890)
• John O'Donovan (editor), Annals of Ireland by the Four Masters (1851)
• Calendar of State Papers: Carew MSS. i., ii., (6 vols., 1867–1873)
• Calendar of State Papers: Ireland
• Nicholas Canny The Elizabethan Conquest of Ireland (1976); Kingdom and Colony (2002)
• Hiram Morgan Tyrone's War (1995)
• Cyril Falls Elizabeth's Irish Wars (1950; reprint London, 1996); ISBN: 0-09-477220-7
• Dictionary of National Biography 22 vols. (London, 1921–1922)