Turlough Lynagh O'Neill facts for kids
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Sir Turlough Lynagh O'Neill (in Irish: Sir Toirdhealbhach Luineach mac Néill Chonnalaigh Ó Néill; 1532 – September 1595) was a powerful Irish leader in Ireland long ago. He was the chief of the O'Neill clan, a very important family in Ulster, the northern part of Ireland. He became "The O'Neill" in 1567 after Shane O'Neill died. For almost 30 years, from 1567 to 1595, Sir Turlough was the main leader of the O'Neill family. He was even made a knight in 1578 by the English Queen.
Contents
His Early Life
Turlough was born around 1530 near a place called Seanchaisleán, which means 'Old Castle'. This is close to the modern town of Newtownstewart. He was the fourth son of Niall Connallagh O'Neill. Niall was supposed to become "The O'Neill" after his great-uncle, Conn Bacach. Turlough was raised by the O'Lunaigh family, which was a common practice called fostering back then. His mother might have been Rose O'Donnell, who was the daughter of Manus O'Donnell, another important Irish leader.
Becoming a Leader
Before he became "The O'Neill," Turlough was the "tanist" for his uncle, Shane O'Neill. A tanist was like a chosen successor, someone who would take over as leader. Shane and another leader, Baron Dungannon, were arguing over who should be the Earl of Tyrone. In 1562, Queen Elizabeth I of England asked both of them to come to London to explain their cases. Shane went to London. But while Baron Dungannon was traveling, Turlough killed him. This was almost certainly ordered by Shane.
Turlough as The O'Neill
After Shane O'Neill was killed, Turlough promised to be loyal to the Queen of England. He wanted to make his position stronger. He made alliances with other powerful Irish families like the O’Donnells, MacDonnells, and MacQuillans. In 1570, he won a battle against Turlough MacSweeny.
The English government became suspicious of him. So, an army led by The 1st Earl of Essex was sent to fight him. This fight didn't go very well for the English. In 1575, they made a peace agreement, called a treaty, with Turlough. This treaty gave him large areas of land. It also allowed him to hire 300 Scottish soldiers, known as mercenaries.
Another treaty was made in 1578. This one was arranged by Lady Agnes, who was Turlough's wife. This treaty confirmed that Turlough owned huge amounts of land in Ulster. He was also made a Knight and given British titles like Earl of Clanconnell and Baron of Clogher for his lifetime. He was allowed to keep his personal army of Scottish soldiers.
Even with these agreements, Turlough continued to work against the English. He secretly made alliances with Spain and Scotland. He remained in control of Ulster until 1593. By then, he was not in good health and had faced some military defeats. He was forced to give power to his main rival, Hugh. Hugh was the brother of Brian, whom Turlough had killed back in 1562. In 1593, Turlough officially recognized Hugh as the captain of Tyrone and his successor.
In the summer of 1595, Hugh took the last castle Turlough still held. He destroyed it and forced Turlough to leave. Turlough died in September 1595. He was buried at Ardstraw.
Turlough Luineach was "The O'Neill" for a long time, from 1567 to 1595. This was a very difficult time when the English government tried hard to reduce his power in Ulster. English historians at the time often described him as weak. However, the fact that he remained a powerful leader for so long shows he was a very skilled ruler. He was good at making compromises to survive.
A Supporter of the Arts
Turlough Luineach was highly praised by the Gaelic poets and musicians of his time. His father, Niall Connallach, was also a famous supporter of artists. Turlough followed his father's example. He even protected a poet named Uilliam Nuinseann when he was accused of being involved in a rebellion in 1580.
His Family
Turlough's second wife was Lady Agnes Campbell. She was the daughter of a Scottish nobleman, The 3rd Earl of Argyll. One of Turlough's daughters married Sorley Boy MacDonnell, who was a very old man at the time. Another daughter married Sir Donnell O'Donnell, an important leader in Tyrconnell.
Turlough Luineach's son, Sir Arthur O'Neill, was his successor. However, Sir Arthur did not become the head of the O'Neill family. During Tyrone's Rebellion, Sir Arthur first fought with his distant cousin, The 2nd Earl of Tyrone. But then he switched sides and joined Sir Henry Docwra's forces until he died in 1600. Sir Arthur's own son, Turlough O'Neill, then succeeded him.
See also
- An sluagh sidhe so i nEamhuin?
- Kings of Tir Eogain
- Kings of Ailech
- Cenél nEógain
Sources
- Proinsias Ó Conluain "Dutiful Old Knight and Formidable Foe", Dúiche Néill, No. 13, 2000, pgs. 9–48.
- Hiram Morgan, Tyrone's Rebellion, The Royal Historical Society & The Boydell Press, Woodbridge, 1993.
- H.C.Hamilton, E.G. Atkinson and R.P. Mahaffy (eds) Calendar of State Papers Ireland, 24 Vols, London, 1860–1912.
