Turlough Lynagh O'Neill | |
|---|---|
 1574 sketch of O'Neill byBarnabe Googe, said to greatly resemble him[1] | |
| Lord of Tír Eoghain | |
| Tenure | 1567 – September 1595 |
| Predecessor | Shane O'Neill |
| Successor | Hugh O'Neill |
| Born | c. 1530 nearNewtownstewart,Ulster, Ireland |
| Died | 9 - 12 September 1595 Strabane, Ulster, Ireland |
Sir Turlough Lynagh O'Neill (also known asTurlough Luineach) (Irish:An Ridire Toirdhealbhach Luineach mac Néill Chonnalaigh Ó Néill;c. 1530 – September 1595) was anIrishGaelic lord ofTír Eoghain in early modernIreland. He wasinaugurated uponShane O’Neill’s death, becomingThe O'Neill. From 1567 to 1595, Sir Turlough Luineach O'Neill was leader of the O'Neill clan, the most powerful family inUlster, the northernprovince inIreland.[2] He wasknighted in 1578.
Turlough was born around 1530[1] atSeanchaisleán ('Old Castle'), close to the modern town ofNewtownstewart. He was the fourth son of Niall Connallagh O'Neill,Tanist of Tyrone (1519–1544), and was fostered by the O'Lunaigh family of Munterluney. As Tanist, Niall Connallagh was designated to succeed his great-uncleConn Bacach (1519–1559) as The O'Neill. Turlough's mother may have been Niall Connellagh's wife, Rose O'Donnell, the daughter ofManus O'Donnell, The O'Donnell of the neighbouring kingdom ofTyrconnell. Turlough was the grandson of Art Og McConn, The O'Neill (1513–1519), and was a direct descendant of Brian McNiall Roe, The O'Neill and ruler ofTír Eoghain (1238–1260).
Turlough was Tanist of his uncleShane O'Neill. Shane andBaron Dungannon contested for the titleEarl of Tyrone. In 1562, both were ordered to attend the Court in London to present their cases toQueen Elizabeth I. Shane came to London, but while Lord Dungannon was travelling fromNewry toCarlingford he was killed by Turlough, almost certainly on the orders of Shane.[3]
Making professions of loyalty to theQueen of England in the year following Shane's assassination, Turlough sought to strengthen his position by alliance with theO’Donnells,MacDonnells andMacQuillans. In 1570 he killed Turlough MacSweeny in battle at Dún na Long on the Foyle. His conduct giving rise to suspicions, an expedition underThe 1st Earl of Essex was sent against him, which met with such doubtful success that in 1575 a treaty was arranged by which O’Neill received extensive grants of lands and permission to employ three hundredScottish mercenaries.[4] A further treaty in 1578, negotiated byLady Agnes, confirmed Turlough's vast land holdings in Ulster, granted him a knighthood and the British titles of Earl of Clanconnell andBaron of Clogher, for life, and allowed him to retain for life the personal army of Scottish mercenaries negotiated three years before.
Still, at the outbreak of rebellion inMunster his attitude again became menacing, and for the next few years he continued to intrigue against the English authorities[4] through clandestine alliances with Spain and Scotland, yet he maintained virtual control of Ulster until 1593, when he was forced by poor health and military setbacks to concede power to his principal rival,Hugh, brother ofBrian, whom Sir Turlough had assassinated in 1562 during Shane O’Neill's absence at the court ofQueen Elizabeth I of England. Hugh was recognised by Sir Turlough Luineach as captain of Tyrone, and as his Tanist, in 1593. During the summer of 1595, Hugh seized the last castle still held by Sir Turlough Luineach, razed it, and drove him into the wilderness. He died inStrabane between 9 and 12 September 1595,[5] and was buried atArdstraw,[6] probably at the Franciscan friary founded by his ancestors.
Sir Turlough Luineach had successfully survived as "The O'Neill" from 1567 until 1595, a turbulent quarter century that saw the most concerted efforts by the English administration to weaken and marginalise his authority in Ulster. He is frequently depicted by contemporary English historians as a weak, drunken buffoon,[7] but his continued survival as The O'Neill through this period speaks of his considerable skill as a ruler and of a sustained policy of successful compromise.
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Sir Turlough Luineach has the distinction of being one of the most highly praised rulers by the Gaelic poets and musicians of his time. His father, Niall Connallagh, had been a celebrated patron of the arts and Sir Turlough Luineach avidly followed his example. He sheltered Uilliam Nuinseann when the poet was accused of conspiracy in theBaltinglass rebellion of 1580.[citation needed]
His second wife,Lady Agnes Campbell, was a daughter ofThe 3rd Earl of Argyll.[8] One of his daughters was married, as his second wife, toSorley Boy MacDonnell when he was past the age of eighty years. Another daughter was married toSir Donnell O'Donnell, a leading figure inTyrconnell until his death at theBattle of Doire Leathan in 1590. Sir Turlough Luineach's successor was his son,Sir Arthur O'Neill, although Sir Arthur did not succeed him as head of the dynasty. DuringTyrone's Rebellion, Sir Arthur initially sided with his distant cousin,The Earl of Tyrone, but then switched sides and served withSir Henry Docwra's forces out ofDerry. Sir Arthur died in 1600, and was succeeded by his own son, Turlough O'Neill.
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: McNeill, Ronald John (1911). "O'Neill". InChisholm, Hugh (ed.).Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 20 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 107–111.
