Donal Cam O'Sullivan Beare, Prince of Beare, 1st Count of Berehaven (1561–1618) was the last independent ruler of the O'Sullivan Beara

O'Sullivan

O'Sullivan or simply Sullivan is an Irish surname, associated with the southwestern part of Ireland, originally found in County Tipperary before the Anglo-Norman invasion, then in County Cork and County Kerry, which due to emigration is also common in Australia, North America and Britain...

 sept, and thus the last O'Sullivan Beare, a Gaelic princely title, in the southwest of Ireland during the early seventeenth century, when the English were attempting to secure their rule over the whole island.

Early life

Donal's father was killed in 1563, but his son was considered to be too young to inherit and the clan leadership passed to the chief's surviving brother Owen, who was confirmed by English authorities in Dublin with the title Lord of Beare and Bantry. In order to consolidate his position, Owen accepted the authority of Queen Elizabeth I of England

Elizabeth I of England

Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...

 and was knighted. In 1587 Donal asserted his own claim to leadership of the clan, petitioning Dublin to put aside Owen's appointment with a claim derived from English laws based on absolute male primogeniture

Primogeniture

Primogeniture is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn to inherit the entire estate, to the exclusion of younger siblings . Historically, the term implied male primogeniture, to the exclusion of females...

. These laws did not recognise age as relevant to inheritance rights. Keen to extend English legal authority over Ireland, the Dublin commission accepted Donal's claim. He now became "the O'Sullivan Beare".

Nine Years War

By 1600 Munster

Munster

Munster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the south of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial purposes...

 had been devastated by battle, and the Gaelic clans lost over half a million acres (4,000 km²) of land to settlers from England following the defeat of the Desmond Rebellions

Desmond Rebellions

The Desmond Rebellions occurred in 1569-1573 and 1579-1583 in the Irish province of Munster.They were rebellions by the Earl of Desmond – head of the FitzGerald dynasty in Munster – and his followers, the Geraldines and their allies against the threat of the extension of Elizabethan English...

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In the lead up to the Nine Years' War

Nine Years' War (Ireland)

The Nine Years' War or Tyrone's Rebellion took place in Ireland from 1594 to 1603. It was fought between the forces of Gaelic Irish chieftains Hugh O'Neill of Tír Eoghain, Hugh Roe O'Donnell of Tír Chonaill and their allies, against English rule in Ireland. The war was fought in all parts of the...

 O'Sullivan kept his distance from the rebel cause, but in time he joined a confederation of Gaelic chiefs led by Hugh O'Neill

Hugh O'Neill, 3rd Earl of Tyrone

Aodh Mór Ó Néill, anglicised as Hugh The Great O'Neill , was the 2nd or 3rd Earl of Tyrone and was later created The Ó Néill...

, Earl of Tyrone and Hugh Roe O'Donnell

Hugh Roe O'Donnell

Aodh Rua Ó Dónaill, anglicised as either Hugh Roe O'Donnell or Red Hugh O'Donnell , was An Ó Domhnaill and Rí of Tir Chonaill . He led the Irish forces against the English conquest of Ireland from 1593 and helped to lead the Nine Years' War from 1595 to 1603...

 of Ulster. Conflict had broken out in 1594, and O'Neill secured support from Philip II of Spain

Philip II of Spain

Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....

. The Spanish sent a force under the command of Don Juan D'Aquilla in 1601. O'Sullivan wrote to the Spanish king in submission to his authority, but the letter was intercepted by the English. In early 1602 the allied Irish and Spanish forces met the English at the Battle of Kinsale and were defeated.

O'Sullivan resolved to continue the struggle by taking control of the castle of Dunboy

Dunboy Castle

Dunboy Castle was a stronghold of the O'Sullivan Bere, a Gaelic clan leader and 'Chief of Dunboy'. The castle is located on the Beara Peninsula in south-west Ireland near the town of Castletownbere and was built to guard and defend the harbour of Berehaven...

. In 1603 English forces attacked Dunboy and the castle fell after a vicious siege

Siege of Dunboy

The Siege of Dunboy took place at Dunboy Castle on 5–18 June 1602, during the Nine Years' War in Ireland. It was one of the last battles of the conflict and was a victory for the English Army.-The Castle:...

. The entire company of defenders was killed in combat or executed.

O'Sullivan's march

Donal himself was absent from the siege, having travelled to the north of the island for a conference with Hugh O'Neill. His letter to Philip left him with little hope of a pardon from the English, and he continued the fight with guerilla tactics.

He was eventually forced to gather up his remaining followers, including women and children, and set off for the north, on a 250-mile march which he and his people completed in 14 days. He fought a long rearguard action across Ireland, during which the much larger English force fought him all the way, as did rival Irish leaders. The march is one of the most poignant in Irish history and was marked by enormous suffering as the fleeing and starving O'Sullivans sought food from an already decimated Irish countryside in winter, often resulting in hostility, such as from the Mac Egans at Redwood Castle in Tipperary. O'Sullivan marched through Aughrim

Aughrim, County Galway

Aughrim is a small village in County Galway, Ireland. It is located in the west of Ireland, between the towns of Loughrea and Ballinasloe, along the N6 national primary road that connects Galway and Dublin....

, where he raided villages for food and met with local resistance. He was barred entrance to Glinsk

Glinsc

Glinsce is a Gaeltacht townland in County Mayo, Ireland. It is in the parish of Kilcommon and barony of Erris...

 castle and led his refugees further north. On their arrival at the O'Rourke's castle in Leitrim on January 4th 1603, only 35 of the original 1,000 remained. Many had died in battles or from exposure and hunger, and others had settled along the route.
In Leitrim, O'Sullivan sought to join with other northern chiefs to fight the English and organised a force to this end, but resistance ended when Hugh O'Neill, 2nd Earl of Tyrone signed the Treaty of Mellifont

Treaty of Mellifont

The Treaty of Mellifont , also known as the Articles of Mellifont was signed in 1603 ending the Nine Years' War which took place in the Kingdom of Ireland from 1594 to 1603.- The end of the war :...

. O'Sullivan, like other member of the Gaelic nobility of Ireland who fled

Flight of the Earls

The Flight of the Earls took place on 14 September 1607, when Hugh Ó Neill of Tír Eóghain, Rory Ó Donnell of Tír Chonaill and about ninety followers left Ireland for mainland Europe.-Background to the exile:...

, sought exile, making his escape to Spain by ship .

Exile

When he left Ireland, Cornelius O'Driscoll and other Irish knights helped him and his clan. In Spain O'Sullivan was welcomed by King Philip III

Philip III of Spain

Philip III , also known as Philip the Pious, was the King of Spain and King of Portugal and the Algarves, where he ruled as Philip II , from 1598 until his death...

. His princely status was reconfirmed, and he received a commission as an imperial general. His cousin, Pilib Ó Súilleabháin Bhéara

Philip O'Sullivan Beare

Philip O'Sullivan Beare was an Irish soldier who became more famous as a writer.He was son of Dermot O'Sullivan and nephew of Donal O'Sullivan Beare, Prince of Beare. He was sent to Spain in 1602, and was educated at Compostela by Vendamma, a Spaniard, and John Synnott, an Irish Jesuit.He served...

, was particularly important in this regard and his 1618 disquisition in Latin, A Briefe Relation of Ireland and the diversity of Irish in the same was particularly influential.

In 1618, O'Sullivan was murdered just as he was leaving mass in the Plaza Santo Domingo in Madrid. The murderer was John Bathe, a young Englishman who had been disfigured in a duel by the prince's nephew, on account of some arguments between Bathe and O'Sullivan; it is also said that the man was a spy on behalf the English Crown.

O'Sullivan enjoyed a wide reputation, which helped to open doors for later soldiers from his line. About 165 years later, one descendant, John Sullivan, served as a general in the American Revolution

American Revolution

The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...

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