A native ofUlster, born probably inBaile Uí Eodhasa (Ballyhoo/Ballyhose), in what is nowCounty Fermanagh,[1][2][4] Ó hÉoghusa was employed for much of his life by the Mág Uidhir (Maguire) chiefs ofFermanagh.[1][2] He received land during the Plantation of Ulster in 1610.[5]
Among his most well-known works are several poems included in theLeabhar Branach, a literary compendium of mostly Gaelic poets ofLeinster,[3]: xii dedicated to theO'Byrne chiefs ofWicklow who "by their success in maintaining the independence and integrity of their mountainous territory against great odds until the final collapse, they were in a position to attract poets of repute from distant parts of Ireland."[3]: xiii
Not only did he compose praises for the Maguires, but wrote a poem in 1603 ('Mór theasda dh'obair Óivid..') celebrating the enthronement ofJames VI in Scotland,[2][6] and in his obituary, the poet was lauded as a man "esteemed by the Gael and the Foreigner".[2][6][7]
^abcBreathnach, Diarmuid; Ní Mhurchú, Máire."Ó hÉoghusa, Eochaidh (c.1568–1612)".An Bunachar Náisiúnta Beathaisnéisí Gaeilge [The National Database of Irish Biographies] (in Irish). An Roinn Turasóireachta, Cultúir, Ealaíon, Gaeltachta, Spóirt agus Meán. Retrieved29 July 2021.
^abcMac Airt, Seán, ed. (1944).Leabhar Branach: The Book of the O'Byrnes. Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.ISBN978-1-85500-008-7.{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
