Matthew O'Conor facts for kids

Matthew O'Conor Don (born 1773, died 1844) was an important Irish historian from Ballinagare, County Roscommon, Ireland. He was known as the O'Conor Don, which was the title for the head of the O'Conor family. He was also considered the rightful (de jure) King of Connacht, a historical kingdom in Ireland.

Early Life and Family

Matthew O'Conor Don was the grandson of Charles O'Conor Don (1710–1791), who was a famous Irish historian and expert on old things from the 1700s. Matthew's brother, Charles O'Conor (1767–1828), was also a historian. Matthew first studied to become a priest in Rome, but he later decided to become a lawyer instead.

A Respected Historian

Matthew was highly respected by other Irish scholars of his time. These included famous people like George Petrie and John O'Donovan. He gave a lot of help to John O'Donovan during his research in Roscommon for the Ordnance Survey. The Ordnance Survey was a group that made detailed maps of Ireland.

O'Donovan thought very highly of Matthew. This was not just because of Matthew's work in history and politics, but also because he came from a noble family and was seen as a prince of the royal family of Connacht.

Elected King of Connacht

Many people in Roscommon shared O'Donovan's high opinion of Matthew. During a time called the Tithe War, when people were protesting unfair taxes, a large group of Catholics in Roscommon chose Matthew as their King of Connacht. They did this even though he wasn't there! They sent him a message asking him to come to Carnfree for a special ceremony to officially make him king.

His Writings

Matthew O'Conor Don wrote an important book called The History of Irish Catholics from the Settlement in 1691. This book was based on letters written by his grandfather, Charles O’Conor, to another historian named Dr. John Curry.