Felim O'Neill of Kinard
Encyclopedia
Sir Felim O'Neill of Kinard (died August 1653), also called Phelim MacShane O'Neill or Féilim Ó Néill (Irish
), was an Irish
nobleman who led the Irish Rebellion of 1641
in Ulster
which began on 22 October 1641. He was a member of the Irish Catholic Confederation
during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms
, where he fought under his kinsman Owen Roe O'Neill
. He was captured and executed during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland
in 1652. Phelim O'Neill is also believed to be the source of the name "P. O'Neill" used to sign official statements from the Irish Republican Army
during the twentieth century.
, Sir Felim was the grandson of Sir Henry Og MacShane O'Neill and great-grandson of Henry MacShane O'Neill
, one of the O'Neills who remained in Ulster after the Flight of the Earls
despite the difficulties brought on by land confiscation and the Plantation of Ulster
. O'Neill was a member of the Irish Parliament
in the 1630s and trained as a lawyer at King's Inns
in London. His Father was Sir Turlough MacShane O'Neill and His mother was Catherine Ny.
This fear reached its high point in the late 1630s and early 1640s, when Thomas Wentworth
, a minister of Charles I
, was known to be planning widespread new plantations
. A crisis point was reached in 1641, when the Scottish Covenanters and English Long Parliament
threatened to invade Ireland to finally subdue Catholicism there. In this atmosphere of fear and paranoia, Felim O'Neill became involved in a plot hatched by fellow Gaelic Irish Catholics from Ulster, to seize Dublin and swiftly take over the other important towns of Ireland. After this, they planned to issue their demands for full rights for Catholics and Irish self government in the King's name. O'Neill's role was to take towns and fortified places in the north of the country.
However, the plan to take Dublin was bungled by two conspirators, Maguire and MacMahon, who were captured by the authorities. O'Neill went ahead and started the rebellion in the north, capturing the important fort of Charlemont
, but quickly found that he could not control the Irish Catholic peasantry he had raised. These people, many of whom had been displaced during the Plantation of Ulster
, began attacking the Scottish and English Protestant settlers. O'Neill, along with Rory O'Moore
, then tried to march on Dublin, defeating a government force at Julianstown
but failing to take Drogheda
after a rather inept siege.
and Derry
, held out. King Charles I
sent a large army to Ireland, which would probably have put down the rebellion, had the English Civil War
not broken out. As it was, the Irish Catholic upper classes had breathing space to form the Irish Catholic Confederation
, which acted as a de facto independent government of Ireland until 1649. Felim O'Neill was a member of the Confederate's parliament, named the General Assembly, but was sidelined in the leadership of Irish Catholics by more wealthy landed magnates.
On the military side, O'Neill was also sidelined. After his disastrous defeat at Glenmaquin near Raphoe
in County Donegal, his kinsman, Owen Roe O'Neill
, a professional soldier, arrived from the Spanish Netherlands and was made general of the Confederate's Ulster
army. Felim O'Neill was a cavalry
commander in this force, and spent most of the next six years fighting against the Scottish Covenanter
army that had landed in Ulster. He fought in the army's victory at the Battle of Benburb
.
In Confederate politics, O'Neill was a moderate, advocating a deal with Charles I
and the English Royalists
as a means of winning the war against the English Parliament and the Scottish Covenanters. In 1648, he voted for such a deal, The Second Ormonde
Peace, splitting with Owen Roe O'Neill, who opposed it along with most of the Ulster army. In the summer of that year, the Confederate armies fought among themselves over this issue, with the pro-Royalists prevailing.
by the New Model Army
of Oliver Cromwell
in 1649-53. The well trained and supplied Parliamentarians crushed all Confederate and Royalist resistance and imposed a harsh settlement on Irish Catholics.
The Ulster Army was routed at the Battle of Scarrifholis
in 1650. Felim O'Neill escaped the battle but spent the remaining years of his life as fugitive. He successfully held off a Parliamentarian assault
on Charlemont Fort
shortly after the disaster at Scarrifholis, inflicting heavy casualties on the English troops before surrendering on terms and marching way with his remaining troops.
Anyone implicated in the Rebellion of 1641
was held responsible for the massacres of Protestant civilians and executed. O'Neill was specifically named as a ringleader in the Cromwellian Act for the Settlement of Ireland 1652
and could therefore have expected little mercy when he was captured on 4 February 1653 at Roughan Castle
where he had taken refuge, near Newmills
, County Tyrone
. He was taken to Dublin, where he was hanged, drawn and quartered for treason.
O'Neill may have been able to avoid execution if he had testified that he had Charles I's commission for the uprising of 1641, as the Parliamentarians had claimed at the time. However, O'Neill refused to do this. In August 1653, O'Neill was executed, in accordance with the verdict of a High Court set up in Dublin by the Cromwellian government.
O'Neill is depicted as an historical character in Annraoi Ó Liatháin's Irish language novel Dún na Cinniúna centring around the 1651 siege of Charlemont Fort in Tyrone.
O'Neill's defeat at the battle of Glanmaquin in 1642 is described in Darach Ó Scolaí
's novel An Cléireach
.
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
), was an Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
nobleman who led the Irish Rebellion of 1641
Irish Rebellion of 1641
The Irish Rebellion of 1641 began as an attempted coup d'état by Irish Catholic gentry, who tried to seize control of the English administration in Ireland to force concessions for the Catholics living under English rule...
in Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. 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...
which began on 22 October 1641. He was a member of the Irish Catholic Confederation
Confederate Ireland
Confederate Ireland refers to the period of Irish self-government between the Rebellion of 1641 and the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland in 1649. During this time, two-thirds of Ireland was governed by the Irish Catholic Confederation, also known as the "Confederation of Kilkenny"...
during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms
Wars of the Three Kingdoms
The Wars of the Three Kingdoms formed an intertwined series of conflicts that took place in England, Ireland, and Scotland between 1639 and 1651 after these three countries had come under the "Personal Rule" of the same monarch...
, where he fought under his kinsman Owen Roe O'Neill
Owen Roe O'Neill
Eoghan Ruadh Ó Néill , anglicised as Owen Roe O'Neill , was a seventeenth century soldier and one of the most famous of the O'Neill dynasty of Ulster.- In Spanish service :...
. He was captured and executed during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland
Cromwellian conquest of Ireland
The Cromwellian conquest of Ireland refers to the conquest of Ireland by the forces of the English Parliament, led by Oliver Cromwell during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Cromwell landed in Ireland with his New Model Army on behalf of England's Rump Parliament in 1649...
in 1652. Phelim O'Neill is also believed to be the source of the name "P. O'Neill" used to sign official statements from the Irish Republican Army
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
during the twentieth century.
Background
A member of the famous O'Neill dynastyO'Neill dynasty
The O'Neill dynasty is a group of families that have held prominent positions and titles throughout European history. The O'Neills take their name from Niall Glúndub, an early 10th century High King of Ireland from the Cenél nEógain...
, Sir Felim was the grandson of Sir Henry Og MacShane O'Neill and great-grandson of Henry MacShane O'Neill
Henry MacShane O'Neill
Henry MacShane O'Neill or Anraí MacSéan Ó Néill was an Irish flaith, a son of Shane O'Neill who was known as "an Diomas" or "The Proud". Henry was the leader of the MacShane in the late 1500s and early 1600s, he also fought for control of the O'Neill Clan, helping his father against Hugh...
, one of the O'Neills who remained in Ulster after the Flight of the Earls
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:...
despite the difficulties brought on by land confiscation and the Plantation of Ulster
Plantation of Ulster
The Plantation of Ulster was the organised colonisation of Ulster—a province of Ireland—by people from Great Britain. Private plantation by wealthy landowners began in 1606, while official plantation controlled by King James I of England and VI of Scotland began in 1609...
. O'Neill was a member of the Irish Parliament
Parliament of Ireland
The Parliament of Ireland was a legislature that existed in Dublin from 1297 until 1800. In its early mediaeval period during the Lordship of Ireland it consisted of either two or three chambers: the House of Commons, elected by a very restricted suffrage, the House of Lords in which the lords...
in the 1630s and trained as a lawyer at King's Inns
King's Inns
The Honorable Society of King's Inns , is the institution which controls the entry of barristers-at-law into the justice system of Ireland...
in London. His Father was Sir Turlough MacShane O'Neill and His mother was Catherine Ny.
Rebellion
However, in common with many Irish Catholics, and especially Gaelic Irishmen, O'Neill felt threatened by the Protestant English government of Ireland. In particular, they were aggrieved at Catholic exclusion from Public Office and the continual confiscations of Catholic owned land.This fear reached its high point in the late 1630s and early 1640s, when Thomas Wentworth
Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford
Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford was an English statesman and a major figure in the period leading up to the English Civil War. He served in Parliament and was a supporter of King Charles I. From 1632 to 1639 he instituted a harsh rule as Lord Deputy of Ireland...
, a minister of Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
, was known to be planning widespread new plantations
Plantations of Ireland
Plantations in 16th and 17th century Ireland were the confiscation of land by the English crown and the colonisation of this land with settlers from England and the Scottish Lowlands....
. A crisis point was reached in 1641, when the Scottish Covenanters and English Long Parliament
Long Parliament
The Long Parliament was made on 3 November 1640, following the Bishops' Wars. It received its name from the fact that through an Act of Parliament, it could only be dissolved with the agreement of the members, and those members did not agree to its dissolution until after the English Civil War and...
threatened to invade Ireland to finally subdue Catholicism there. In this atmosphere of fear and paranoia, Felim O'Neill became involved in a plot hatched by fellow Gaelic Irish Catholics from Ulster, to seize Dublin and swiftly take over the other important towns of Ireland. After this, they planned to issue their demands for full rights for Catholics and Irish self government in the King's name. O'Neill's role was to take towns and fortified places in the north of the country.
However, the plan to take Dublin was bungled by two conspirators, Maguire and MacMahon, who were captured by the authorities. O'Neill went ahead and started the rebellion in the north, capturing the important fort of Charlemont
Charlemont Fort
Charlemont Fort was a garrison built in Charlemont, County Armagh in 1602 by Lord Mountjoy. It was destroyed in 1920 by fire and the only building remaining today is the gatehouse. The name Charlemont came from Charles Blount's Christian name...
, but quickly found that he could not control the Irish Catholic peasantry he had raised. These people, many of whom had been displaced during the Plantation of Ulster
Plantation of Ulster
The Plantation of Ulster was the organised colonisation of Ulster—a province of Ireland—by people from Great Britain. Private plantation by wealthy landowners began in 1606, while official plantation controlled by King James I of England and VI of Scotland began in 1609...
, began attacking the Scottish and English Protestant settlers. O'Neill, along with Rory O'Moore
Rory (Roger) O'Moore
Rory O'Moore or Roger O'Moore , was an Irish noble and principal organizer of the Irish Rebellion of 1641.-Life:He belonged to an ancient Irish noble family claiming descent from the mythical Conall Cernach...
, then tried to march on Dublin, defeating a government force at Julianstown
Battle of Julianstown
The Battle of Julianstown was fought during the Irish Rebellion of 1641, at Julianstown near Drogheda in eastern Ireland, in November 1641.- Battle :...
but failing to take Drogheda
Siege of Drogheda
The siege of Drogheda at the outset of the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. The town of Drogheda in eastern Ireland was held by a combined English Royalist and Irish Catholic garrison when it was besieged and stormed by English Parliamentarian forces under Oliver Cromwell...
after a rather inept siege.
Civil War career
The rebellion quickly spread to the rest of Ireland. By the spring of 1642 only fortified Protestant enclaves, around Dublin, CorkCork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
and Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
, held out. King Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
sent a large army to Ireland, which would probably have put down the rebellion, had the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
not broken out. As it was, the Irish Catholic upper classes had breathing space to form the Irish Catholic Confederation
Confederate Ireland
Confederate Ireland refers to the period of Irish self-government between the Rebellion of 1641 and the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland in 1649. During this time, two-thirds of Ireland was governed by the Irish Catholic Confederation, also known as the "Confederation of Kilkenny"...
, which acted as a de facto independent government of Ireland until 1649. Felim O'Neill was a member of the Confederate's parliament, named the General Assembly, but was sidelined in the leadership of Irish Catholics by more wealthy landed magnates.
On the military side, O'Neill was also sidelined. After his disastrous defeat at Glenmaquin near Raphoe
Raphoe
Raphoe is a town in County Donegal, part of the province of Ulster in Ireland. It is the main town in the fertile district of East Donegal known as the Laggan, as well as giving its name to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Raphoe and the Church of Ireland Diocese of Derry and Raphoe.-Name:Raphoe,...
in County Donegal, his kinsman, Owen Roe O'Neill
Owen Roe O'Neill
Eoghan Ruadh Ó Néill , anglicised as Owen Roe O'Neill , was a seventeenth century soldier and one of the most famous of the O'Neill dynasty of Ulster.- In Spanish service :...
, a professional soldier, arrived from the Spanish Netherlands and was made general of the Confederate's Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. 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...
army. Felim O'Neill was a cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
commander in this force, and spent most of the next six years fighting against the Scottish Covenanter
Covenanter
The Covenanters were a Scottish Presbyterian movement that played an important part in the history of Scotland, and to a lesser extent in that of England and Ireland, during the 17th century...
army that had landed in Ulster. He fought in the army's victory at the Battle of Benburb
Battle of Benburb
The Battle of Benburb took place in 1646 during the Irish Confederate Wars, the Irish theatre of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It was fought between the forces of Confederate Ireland under Owen Roe O'Neill and a Scottish Covenanter and Anglo-Irish army under Robert Monro...
.
In Confederate politics, O'Neill was a moderate, advocating a deal with Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
and the English Royalists
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
as a means of winning the war against the English Parliament and the Scottish Covenanters. In 1648, he voted for such a deal, The Second Ormonde
Ormonde
Ormonde was an English Thoroughbred racehorse, an unbeaten Triple Crown winner, generally considered to be one of the greatest racehorses ever.-Breeding:...
Peace, splitting with Owen Roe O'Neill, who opposed it along with most of the Ulster army. In the summer of that year, the Confederate armies fought among themselves over this issue, with the pro-Royalists prevailing.
Execution
However, this was not enough to stop Ireland being re-conqueredCromwellian conquest of Ireland
The Cromwellian conquest of Ireland refers to the conquest of Ireland by the forces of the English Parliament, led by Oliver Cromwell during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Cromwell landed in Ireland with his New Model Army on behalf of England's Rump Parliament in 1649...
by the New Model Army
New Model Army
The New Model Army of England was formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians in the English Civil War, and was disbanded in 1660 after the Restoration...
of Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
in 1649-53. The well trained and supplied Parliamentarians crushed all Confederate and Royalist resistance and imposed a harsh settlement on Irish Catholics.
The Ulster Army was routed at the Battle of Scarrifholis
Battle of Scarrifholis
The Battle of Scarrifholis was fought in Donegal North-West Ireland, on the 21st of June 1650, during the Irish Confederate Wars – part of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms Cogadh ná Trí Ríocht...
in 1650. Felim O'Neill escaped the battle but spent the remaining years of his life as fugitive. He successfully held off a Parliamentarian assault
Siege of Charlemont
The Siege of Charlemont took place in July - August 1650 during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland when the fortress of Charlemont in County Armagh, Ireland was besieged by Charles Coote's Parliamentarian army, which was largely composed of soldiers of the New Model Army...
on Charlemont Fort
Charlemont Fort
Charlemont Fort was a garrison built in Charlemont, County Armagh in 1602 by Lord Mountjoy. It was destroyed in 1920 by fire and the only building remaining today is the gatehouse. The name Charlemont came from Charles Blount's Christian name...
shortly after the disaster at Scarrifholis, inflicting heavy casualties on the English troops before surrendering on terms and marching way with his remaining troops.
Anyone implicated in the Rebellion of 1641
Irish Rebellion of 1641
The Irish Rebellion of 1641 began as an attempted coup d'état by Irish Catholic gentry, who tried to seize control of the English administration in Ireland to force concessions for the Catholics living under English rule...
was held responsible for the massacres of Protestant civilians and executed. O'Neill was specifically named as a ringleader in the Cromwellian Act for the Settlement of Ireland 1652
Act for the Settlement of Ireland 1652
The Act for the Settlement of Ireland imposed penalties including death and land confiscation against participants and bystanders of the Irish Rebellion of 1641 and subsequent unrest.-Background:...
and could therefore have expected little mercy when he was captured on 4 February 1653 at Roughan Castle
Roughan Castle
Roughan Castle is a castle a mile outside Newmills, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, on the Dungannon to Stewartstown road. It was built about 1618 by Sir Andrew Stewart , 2nd Lord Castlestewart, eldest son of Andrew Stewart the third Lord Ochiltree, 1st Lord Castlestewart who came from Scotland...
where he had taken refuge, near Newmills
Newmills
Newmills is a small village in east County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, three miles from Dungannon and two miles from Coalisland. Newmills gets its name from a corn mill and kilns that formerly stood in the area. Local amenities include a primary school, a local shop and a number of churches. It...
, County Tyrone
County Tyrone
Historically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610-1620 when that land went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on...
. He was taken to Dublin, where he was hanged, drawn and quartered for treason.
O'Neill may have been able to avoid execution if he had testified that he had Charles I's commission for the uprising of 1641, as the Parliamentarians had claimed at the time. However, O'Neill refused to do this. In August 1653, O'Neill was executed, in accordance with the verdict of a High Court set up in Dublin by the Cromwellian government.
O'Neill is depicted as an historical character in Annraoi Ó Liatháin's Irish language novel Dún na Cinniúna centring around the 1651 siege of Charlemont Fort in Tyrone.
O'Neill's defeat at the battle of Glanmaquin in 1642 is described in Darach Ó Scolaí
Darach Ó Scolaí
Darach Ó Scolaí is an Irish novelist, playwright, publisher, and artist living in the County Galway Gaeltacht of Connemara. He was awarded the Oireachtas Prize for Literature in 2007 for his novel, An Cléireach.- Writing :...
's novel An Cléireach
An Cléireach
An Cléireach is a novel by the Irish writer Darach Ó Scolaí, published in 2007 and winner of the 2007 Oireachtas Prize for Literature.The protogonist and narrator is a soldier and clerk in dispute with his colonel over a promotion...
.