Richard Martin fitz Oliver - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Origins and career

Richard Óge Martyn (c. 1602 – 1648) was a Galway

Galway

Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...

lawyer

Lawyer

A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...

and member of the Catholic Confederates of Ireland

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"...

. He was of the senior line of the Martyn

Martyn

Martyn, or Martin is the surname of one of The Tribes of Galway, Ireland.-Family history:The Martyn family were one of a group of fourteen families of mixed Irish, English, Welsh, French and Norman descent who became the premier merchant and political families in the town of Galway during the late...

family, one of the Tribes of Galway

Tribes of Galway

The Tribes of Galway were fourteen merchant families who dominated the political, commercial, and social life of the city of Galway in western Ireland between the mid-13th and late-19th centuries. They were the families of Athy, Blake, Bodkin, Browne, D'Arcy, Deane, Font, Ffrench, Joyce, Kirwan,...

. He lived at Dunguaire Castle

Dunguaire Castle

Dunguaire Castle is a 16th-century tower house on the southeastern shore of Galway Bay in County Galway, Ireland, near Kinvarra. The castle's 75-foot tower and its defensive wall have been restored to excellent condition, and the grounds are open to tourists during the summer...

, Kinvarra. He worked with his brother-in-law and first cousin, Patrick Darcy

Patrick Darcy

Patrick Darcy is the name of:* Patrick D'Arcy , Irish nationalist* Pat Darcy , American baseball player...

, against the Plantation of Connaught in the 1630s, and served on the Supreme Council

Supreme Council

Supreme Council may refer to:In culture:* Supreme Council of Antiquities, part of the Egyptian Ministry of Culture* Supreme Council of Ethnikoi Hellenes, an umbrella organisation in Greece established in 1997In Freemasonry:...

of the Confederate Catholics

Confederate Ireland

in the 1640s. Martyn also served as Mayor of Galway

Mayor of Galway

The office of Mayor of Galway is an honorific title used by the of Galway City Council. The Council has jurisdiction throughout its administrative area which is the city of Galway – the largest city in the province of Connacht, in the Republic of Ireland. The office was originally established by a...

, 1642–1643.

Friends and acquaintances included John Lynch (Gratianus Lucius)

John Lynch (Gratianus Lucius)

John Lynch, pseudonym Gratianus Lucius, D.D., was an Irish Roman Catholic priest, known as a historian and Archdeacon of Tuam.-Life:...

, Mary Bonaventure Browne

Mary Bonaventure Browne

Mother Mary Bonaventure Browne, Poor Clare and Irish historian, born after 1610, died after 1670.-Background:A daughter of Andrew Browne fitz Oliver, a wealthy merchant and a member of The Tribes of Galway. She was a niece of Martin Browne, whose townhouse doorway, the Browne doorway, now stands in...

, and Sir Dermott Ó Seachnasaigh

Dermott Ó Seachnasaigh

Sir Dermott Ó Seachnasaigh, Chief of the Name, died 1673.Ó Seachnasaigh was married to Joan, daughter of Lord Barrymore and had sons Roger and Cormac. A copy of his will survives.-References:...

. His contemporaries included Mícheál Ó Cléirigh

Mícheál Ó Cléirigh

Mícheál Ó Cléirigh , sometimes known as Michael O'Clery, was an Irish chronicler, scribe and antiquary and chief author of the Annals of the Four Masters, assisted by Cú Choigcríche Ó Cléirigh, Fearfeasa Ó Maol Chonaire, and Peregrinus Ó Duibhgeannain.-Background and early life:Grandson of Tuathal...

and Randal MacDonnell, 1st Marquess of Antrim.

1641 Depositions

Martyn is mention in several of the 1641 Depositions concerning the events in Galway in from early 1642 to summer 1643, of which he took a leading part:

William Hamond - And also deposeth that dureing his abode in his Maiesties fort of Galway, (from Christmas 1641 till May 1643) he obserued the Inhabitants of the Towne of Galway almost wholly to be open Rebels, amongst the which were most actiue, Sir Tho. Blake, (kild with their owne Ordinance shooting against a Pinace of the Kings) Sir Val. Blake. ffrancis Blake, John Blake (& many more of that Name) Rich. Martyn (Mayor at michielmas 1642) Patricke Darcy, Olliuer oge french, George Browne, Andr Browne; Dominicke Skerrit, etc. ... He also sayth that being in the fort of Galway, he was told by Patricke french, & John Joyce (then Prisoners in the sayd forte) that Patricke Darcy and Richard Martyn Lawyers were the men that first moued the Towne of Galway to Rebellion, both by their letters from Dublin and theire instigation when they came to Galway.

Joseph Hampton - And further saith That the parties hereafter mencioned haue bin great actors & guilty of the present Rebellion in carrying armes partakeing with counselling assisting & helping one another and other Rebells therein and in the comitting and perpetrateing of divers outrages & cruelties vpon and against his Maiesties lojall subjects vizt and in the beseegeing of his Maiesties fort of Galway & of his maiesties subiects that held & kept the same (including) Richard Martin, Esquire a lawyere.

William Lincoln - saith that Mr Martin and Mr Darcy the lawyeres & Sir Tho: Blake were the principall advisers abetters and actors in the Rebellion & siege at Galway aforesaid.

Thomas Bagworth - saith that the other parties that this deponent knoweth to be actors in the present Rebellion and to partake with the irish Rebells against the English are ... MrMartin a Counsellor at Law & now Maior of Galway: whoe promissed to releeve the fort there: But when he came to bee Major proved as badd or worse as then any other Rebell & would not releeve nor partake with them of the fforte.

Andrew Darcy - Sayeth that in Springe Tyme 1641 There was a Counsell off eight men Constituted in open Court by the Mayor Aldermen and ffremen of Golloway at a Towsall Conveaned by the instigacion off Richard oge Martin and John Blake fize Robert with an intent to rebell against the government of the English Nacion as afterwards appeares.

Among the most damming depositions are those given by John Turner:

after this Examinant together with the said Robert Clarke went from the fort to the towne of Galway: vpon whose comeing there was a Court of assembly called where were present the Maior Adermen and burgesses of the towne or the greater part of them, and likewise Mr Patrick Darcy & Mr Martin Lawyeres Before whom this Examinant and the said Robert Clark were called And this Examinant shewing the said warrant before the said assembly, the said Mr Darcy and Mr Martin being present, They the said Mr Darcy & Mr Martin Did there publickly declare that it was treason in this Examinant and the said Clark to hinder & deteine the said Armes from them by virtue of the said warrant (they then pretending themselues to be his Maiesties subjects) And therevpon committed both of them to the towne gaole of Galway where they remained for the space of 10 or 12 dayes following vntil they were released by the Erle of Clanrickard, And this Examinant further saith That the said Erle of Clanrickard did make an end of the said differences betweene the merchant of the said shipp & the said Robert Clarke, and did assure the said Clarke that all things shold be fairly carried But the said Erle Leaving the said towne of Galway the said Dominick Keghran factor to the said Tho: Linch with divers others, (by the direction of the said Mr Darcy and Mr Martin (as this examinant verely beleeveth went aboard the said shipp & carrjed with them seuerall boats, vpon pretence to vnlade the salt, And vpon their comeing to the said shipp (the said Clark being at the fort, and some of his men to out of the ship to fetche Ballast) entered the said ship and killd the Masters Mate and twoe or 3 more of the men aboard the said shipp and wounded seuerall others there, & soe possessed themselues wholly of the said shipp, being of the burden of three hundred tun or thereabouts, And likewise tooke out of the said shipp, about tenn peece of ordinance, which were landed presently, and planted against his Maiesties fort And further this Examinant saith That in the beginning of the Rebellion, vntill such tyme as the said Mr Darcie and Mr Martin came to the towne of Galway, they within the said fort were furnished of such necessaries as they wanted for their moneys But after the comeing of the said Mr Darcy and Mr Martin to the said towne, the townsmen admitted the Irish people of Err Connaght, to come into the said towne, whoe robbed this examinant and the English Inhabitants within the said towne and Killd & murthered seuerall of them: Amongst which they cut off the heads of one John Fox & his wiffe, and murthered one Mris Collins as she was kneeling at her prayers, And as this examinant hath heard, after the said murders were comitted the Irish tumbled the heads of the heads of the said ffox & his wiffe about the streets, And further saith That at althoughe the said people of Err Connaght had robbed and murthered the English as aforesaid: yet neither the Maior or Aldermen of Galway aforesaid or the said Darcy or Martin did any way punish the offenders, but rather abetted and manteined them in their barbarous cruelties And this Examinant further saith That after, by direction & helpe of the towne of Galway the said fort was s beseiged, And the townsmen of Galway hyred the Cuntry to doe the same Soe that the fort was inforced to yield about the xxvth of June 1643: Wherevpon this Examinant went into the towne of Galway to demand some of his goods according to the quarter given them, And in the meane time the shipping being in the harbour went away & left this examinant behynd Soe as he was inforced to get a Convoy to Bonrattee to the Erle of Thomond, And being there one Dunn servant of Sir Roger ô Shafnusy, related to the Erle of Thomond and him this Examinant, that he sawe the said Richard Martin whoe was then Major of Galway, vpon a Sunday morning with a pick ax in his hand setting people on work to domolish & pull downe the fort of Galway John Turner Jurat. 23. Martij. 1643.

Family and descendants

He was survived by his wife, Magdalene French, and five children, Oliver Óge Martyn, Peter, John, Patrick and Magdalene, and his father Oliver Mór Martyn. He is an ancestor of both the first president of Sinn Féin

Sinn Féin

Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...

, Edward Martyn

Edward Martyn

Edward Martyn was an Irish political and cultural activist and playwright.-Early life:Martyn was the eldest son of John Martyn of Tullira and Annie Mary Josephine Smyth of Masonbrook, Loughrea, both in County Galway. He succeeded his father upon John's death in 1860...

(1859–1923), and the leader of the Irish Unionist Alliance and Ulster Unionist Party

Ulster Unionist Party

The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...

Edward Carson, Baron Carson

Edward Henry Carson, Baron Carson PC, PC , Kt, QC , often known as Sir Edward Carson or Lord Carson, was a barrister, judge and politician from Ireland...

(1854–1935).

A later descendant was the Hungarian artist, Ferenc Martyn

Ferenc Martyn

Ferenc Martyn was an artist and sculptor, Hungarian-born descendant of the Martyn Tribe of Co. Galway, descended from the same branch of the Tribe as Edward Martyn of Tullira . Ferenc's great-grandfather and brothers had settled in the Austro-Hungarian Empire by 1804 where they were employed as...

(1899–1986).

He was a kinsman to Richard Martin (politician) (1754–1834), who was likewise an Irish nationalist.

Origins and career

1641 Depositions

Family and descendants

See also