Owen MacCarthy Reagh, 12th Prince of Carbery
Encyclopedia
Owen MacCarthy Reagh (1520–1594) was the 12th Prince of Carbery from 1576 to 1592. He belonged to the MacCarthy Reagh
dynasty. Owen is commonly called "Sir" Owen MacCarthy (McCartie) in the English records but this may have been only for convenience, for the MacCarthys Reagh were foreign princes at this time, if nominal subjects of the English Crown, and had not yet surrendered their lands for regrant
, which occurred in 1606. If he was in fact actually knighted it did not change his status in Carbery.
The fourth son of Donal MacCarthy Reagh, 9th Prince of Carbery
(r. 1505–1531) by his wife Lady Eleanor, daughter of Gerald FitzGerald, 8th Earl of Kildare
, Owen became tánaiste
in 1567, when his next elder brother Donogh MacCarthy Reagh, 11th Prince of Carbery (r. 1567–1576), father of the famous Florence MacCarthy
, succeeded their elder brother Cormac na Haoine MacCarthy Reagh, 10th Prince of Carbery
(r. 1531–1567).
He was succeeded by the son of his brother Cormac na Haoine, Donal of the Pipes, 13th Prince of Carbery.
during the Second Desmond Rebellion
. Instead he allowed his forces of around 1200 fighting men to be employed by the Crown, and thus prevented much of the destruction that Carbery might have suffered if he had supported FitzGerald. He was accused of joining the rebellion in 1580, and may have given the appearance of it, but his friend Thomas Butler, the Earl of Ormond, prevailed upon him to cease whatever activity and convinced the government it was only local politics. MacCarthy Reagh's difficulties with the Crown's sub-sheriffs are suggested as the cause.
The total size of MacCarthy Reagh's forces is more difficult to determine. According to one count this included a peacetime 1,000 infantry and 30 knights, but according to another in 1588 his private forces greatly exceeded this, amounting to 60 horsemen, 80 professional soldiers, and 2,000 light infantry.
Owen also sat in the House of Lords of the Dublin Parliament of 1584–1585.
He was very influential in advancing the career of his nephew Florence
, son of Donogh, at the expense of his nephew Donal of the Pipes, son of Cormac. Donal was his legal tánaiste but for some reason Owen favoured Florence, causing significant strife within the family, to be found discussed at length in the Life and Letters of Florence MacCarthy (see references). In 1592 Donal was finally able to oust the by then aged Owen, although leaving him a small estate and pension for his comfort until his death two years later in 1594.
Not long before, he earned the ire of the O'Mahony
family when he tried to gain possession of one of their lordships after they had been dispossessed of it by the Crown government. MacCarthy Reagh was unsuccessful but it has been argued his efforts prevented the O'Mahonys from regaining the lordship themselves.
In or before 1592, the year he was deposed by his nephew Donal, MacCarthy Reagh was the co-target of a lawsuit, along with his son-in-law Donal II O'Donovan
, filed against them by O'Donovan's younger brother Teige, who alleged that his brother was a bastard
who owed his entire position to Owen because of his marriage to his daughter Joanne, and that MacCarthy Reagh was himself an intruder, the lordship of Carbery supposedly belonging to his nephew Donal of the Pipes all along. This was unsuccessful, with the Lord Chancellor Adam Loftus
deciding in O'Donovan and MacCarthy Reagh's favour, declaring them legitimate and rightful, but whatever effect the lawsuit might have had back in Carbery is uncertain, noting Owen's deposition
by Donal of the Pipes later in the year of the decision.
despite Donal remaining loyal to the English Crown. Often together with their brothers-in-law Donal II O'Donovan and Sir Fineen O'Driscoll (and his son Cornelius), the activities of "Sir Owen MacCartie's sons" were closely watched by Sir George Carew and his spies. Both received money and fully equipped troop companies from Philip III of Spain
to supplement their own forces, and among their expeditions joined Donal Cam O'Sullivan Beare to support Pedro de Zubiaur
at Castlehaven
.
Through Finghin's son Callaghan, Owen became the ancestor of several lines of MacCarthy counts and viscounts in France, his male heirs finally dying out with the last Count MacCarthy de la Marlière in 1925.
Among Owen's surviving descendants today, in the female line, is The O'Donovan, through his daughter Joanne/Johanna.
The ordering of Owen's daughters varies and in one source Johanna is given as the eldest.
MacCarthy Reagh
The MacCarthy Reagh dynasty are a branch of the great MacCarthy dynasty, Kings of Desmond, deriving from the ancient Eóganachta, of the central Eóganacht Chaisil sept. The MacCarthys Reagh seated themselves as Princes of Carbery in what is now southwestern County Cork in the 13th century...
dynasty. Owen is commonly called "Sir" Owen MacCarthy (McCartie) in the English records but this may have been only for convenience, for the MacCarthys Reagh were foreign princes at this time, if nominal subjects of the English Crown, and had not yet surrendered their lands for regrant
Surrender and regrant
During the Tudor conquest of Ireland , "surrender and regrant" was the legal mechanism by which Irish clans were to be converted from a power structure rooted in clan and kin loyalties, to a late-feudal system under the English legal system...
, which occurred in 1606. If he was in fact actually knighted it did not change his status in Carbery.
The fourth son of Donal MacCarthy Reagh, 9th Prince of Carbery
Donal MacCarthy Reagh, 9th Prince of Carbery
Donal MacCarthy Reagh was the 9th Prince of Carbery from 1505 to his death in 1531. He belonged to the MacCarthy Reagh dynasty, and was the son of Finghin MacCarthy Reagh, 8th Prince of Carbery, and Lady Catherine FitzGerald, daughter Thomas FitzGerald, 7th Earl of Desmond.In some sources and...
(r. 1505–1531) by his wife Lady Eleanor, daughter of Gerald FitzGerald, 8th Earl of Kildare
Gerald FitzGerald, 8th Earl of Kildare
Gerald Mór FitzGerald, 8th Earl of Kildare, KG , known variously as "Garret the Great" or "The Great Earl" , was Ireland's premier peer...
, Owen became tánaiste
Tanistry
Tanistry was a Gaelic system for passing on titles and lands. In this system the Tanist was the office of heir-apparent, or second-in-command, among the Gaelic patrilineal dynasties of Ireland, Scotland and Man, to succeed to the chieftainship or to the kingship.-Origins:The Tanist was chosen from...
in 1567, when his next elder brother Donogh MacCarthy Reagh, 11th Prince of Carbery (r. 1567–1576), father of the famous Florence MacCarthy
Florence MacCarthy
Finnian or Fínghin mac Donnchadh Mac Cárthaigh , known to the English as Florence MacCarthy, was an Irish prince of the late 16th century and the last credible claimant to the MacCarthy Mór title before its suppression by English authority...
, succeeded their elder brother Cormac na Haoine MacCarthy Reagh, 10th Prince of Carbery
Cormac na Haoine MacCarthy Reagh, 10th Prince of Carbery
Cormac na Haoine was the 10th Prince of Carbery from 1531–1567. He belonged to the MacCarthy Reagh dynasty.He was the eldest son of Donal MacCarthy Reagh, 9th Prince of Carbery Cormac na Haoine (1490–1567) was the 10th Prince of Carbery from 1531–1567. He belonged to the MacCarthy Reagh...
(r. 1531–1567).
He was succeeded by the son of his brother Cormac na Haoine, Donal of the Pipes, 13th Prince of Carbery.
Career
Owen did not support Gerald FitzGerald, 15th Earl of DesmondGerald FitzGerald, 15th Earl of Desmond
Gerald FitzGerald, 15th Earl of Desmond was an Irish nobleman and leader of the Desmond Rebellions of 1579.-Life:...
during the Second Desmond Rebellion
Second Desmond Rebellion
The Second Desmond rebellion was the more widespread and bloody of the two Desmond Rebellions launched by the FitzGerald dynasty of Desmond in Munster, Ireland, against English rule in Ireland...
. Instead he allowed his forces of around 1200 fighting men to be employed by the Crown, and thus prevented much of the destruction that Carbery might have suffered if he had supported FitzGerald. He was accused of joining the rebellion in 1580, and may have given the appearance of it, but his friend Thomas Butler, the Earl of Ormond, prevailed upon him to cease whatever activity and convinced the government it was only local politics. MacCarthy Reagh's difficulties with the Crown's sub-sheriffs are suggested as the cause.
The total size of MacCarthy Reagh's forces is more difficult to determine. According to one count this included a peacetime 1,000 infantry and 30 knights, but according to another in 1588 his private forces greatly exceeded this, amounting to 60 horsemen, 80 professional soldiers, and 2,000 light infantry.
Owen also sat in the House of Lords of the Dublin Parliament of 1584–1585.
He was very influential in advancing the career of his nephew Florence
Florence MacCarthy
Finnian or Fínghin mac Donnchadh Mac Cárthaigh , known to the English as Florence MacCarthy, was an Irish prince of the late 16th century and the last credible claimant to the MacCarthy Mór title before its suppression by English authority...
, son of Donogh, at the expense of his nephew Donal of the Pipes, son of Cormac. Donal was his legal tánaiste but for some reason Owen favoured Florence, causing significant strife within the family, to be found discussed at length in the Life and Letters of Florence MacCarthy (see references). In 1592 Donal was finally able to oust the by then aged Owen, although leaving him a small estate and pension for his comfort until his death two years later in 1594.
Not long before, he earned the ire of the O'Mahony
O'Mahony
O'Mahony or O'Mahoney, or simply Mahony or Mahoney, without the prefix, is an Irish surname, and may refer to:The O'Mahonys were Cenél nÁeda princes of the ancient Eóganacht Raithlind...
family when he tried to gain possession of one of their lordships after they had been dispossessed of it by the Crown government. MacCarthy Reagh was unsuccessful but it has been argued his efforts prevented the O'Mahonys from regaining the lordship themselves.
In or before 1592, the year he was deposed by his nephew Donal, MacCarthy Reagh was the co-target of a lawsuit, along with his son-in-law Donal II O'Donovan
Donal II O'Donovan
Donal II O'Donovan , The O'Donovan of Clann Cathail, Lord of Clancahill , was the son of Ellen O'Leary, daughter of O'Leary of Carrignacurra, and Donal of the Skins, The O'Donovan of Clann Cathail....
, filed against them by O'Donovan's younger brother Teige, who alleged that his brother was a bastard
Legitimacy (law)
At common law, legitimacy is the status of a child who is born to parents who are legally married to one another; and of a child who is born shortly after the parents' divorce. In canon and in civil law, the offspring of putative marriages have been considered legitimate children...
who owed his entire position to Owen because of his marriage to his daughter Joanne, and that MacCarthy Reagh was himself an intruder, the lordship of Carbery supposedly belonging to his nephew Donal of the Pipes all along. This was unsuccessful, with the Lord Chancellor Adam Loftus
Adam Loftus (Archbishop)
thumb|right|200px|Archbishop Adam LoftusAdam Loftus was Archbishop of Armagh, and later Dublin, and Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1581. He was also the first Provost of Trinity College, Dublin.-Early life:...
deciding in O'Donovan and MacCarthy Reagh's favour, declaring them legitimate and rightful, but whatever effect the lawsuit might have had back in Carbery is uncertain, noting Owen's deposition
Deposition (politics)
Deposition by political means concerns the removal of a politician or monarch. It may be done by coup, impeachment, invasion or forced abdication...
by Donal of the Pipes later in the year of the decision.
Sons
Despite his being deposed by Donal in 1592, Owen's two sons Finghin and Donogh retained considerable lands and power, joining the side of Hugh O'Neill and allying with Spain in the Nine Years' WarNine 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...
despite Donal remaining loyal to the English Crown. Often together with their brothers-in-law Donal II O'Donovan and Sir Fineen O'Driscoll (and his son Cornelius), the activities of "Sir Owen MacCartie's sons" were closely watched by Sir George Carew and his spies. Both received money and fully equipped troop companies from Philip III of Spain
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...
to supplement their own forces, and among their expeditions joined Donal Cam O'Sullivan Beare to support Pedro de Zubiaur
Pedro de Zubiaur
Pedro de Zubiaur, Zubiaurre or Çubiaurre was a Spanish soldier and sailor of the Anglo-Spanish War who started his naval career in 1568 and won several victories over the English for Philip II of Spain, the most famous of them during the relief of Blaye...
at Castlehaven
Castlehaven
Castlehaven is a civil parish in County Cork, Ireland. It is located some 75 km south west of Cork City on the coast and is made up of two key towns: Union Hall and Castletownshend....
.
Through Finghin's son Callaghan, Owen became the ancestor of several lines of MacCarthy counts and viscounts in France, his male heirs finally dying out with the last Count MacCarthy de la Marlière in 1925.
Among Owen's surviving descendants today, in the female line, is The O'Donovan, through his daughter Joanne/Johanna.
Marriage and issue
Owen married Ellen O'Callaghan, daughter of Dermod O'Callaghan, Lord of Clonmeen, and they had issue:- Finghin/Florence, Lord of Iniskean, who married Eleanor, daughter of Edmund FitzGibbonEdmund FitzGibbonEdmund Fitzgibbon was an Irish nobleman of the FitzGerald dynasty, who inherited the Anglo-Norman title of the White Knight and struggled to maintain his loyalty to the crown during the reign of Queen Elizabeth of England....
, the White Knight.- Catherine, married Dermod MacCarthy Glas, 2nd son of Teige-an-Duna MacCarthyTeige-an-Duna MacCarthyTeige-an-Duna MacCarthy , Lord of Glean-na-Chroim, was the last hereditary Prince of the Dunmanway branch of the MacCarthy Reagh dynasty of Carbery "who exercised the rights of his position." He was Prince from 1618 to 1648, dying the following year on 24 May 1649...
, Lord of Glean-na-Chroim - Callaghan/Caragh, (allegedly) created Viscount of Timoleague by James I of EnglandJames I of EnglandJames VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
, but from whom descended the later Counts MacCarthy de la Marlière and other families of France
- Catherine, married Dermod MacCarthy Glas, 2nd son of Teige-an-Duna MacCarthy
- Donogh Maol, who married Ne FitzGerald, daughter of Thomas Roe
- Ellen, who married Sir Fineen O'Driscoll
- Julia, who married Dermod O'SullivanO'SullivanO'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...
Mór, son of Donal O'Sullivan Mór - Eleanor, who married Finin Mac Owen Carragh of KilbrittainKilbrittainKilbrittain or Killbrittain is the name of a village, townland and parish in County Cork, Ireland. The village lies about southwest of Bandon, and near Clonakilty and Kinsale. The coastal route around the edge of the parish is the R600...
- Johanna, who married Donal II O'DonovanDonal II O'DonovanDonal II O'Donovan , The O'Donovan of Clann Cathail, Lord of Clancahill , was the son of Ellen O'Leary, daughter of O'Leary of Carrignacurra, and Donal of the Skins, The O'Donovan of Clann Cathail....
, Lord of Clancahill - Honoria, who married Edmund FitzGerald, Knight of the Valley (Knight of GlinKnight of GlinThe Knight of Glin, also called the Black Knight, was a hereditary title in the Fitzgeralds of Limerick, Ireland since the early 14th century. The family was a branch of the FitzGerald dynasty or Geraldines, related to the Earls of Desmond , who were granted extensive lands in County Limerick by...
) - Graine, who married twice, 1) Barry Oge de Barry of ButtevantButtevantButtevant is a medieval market town, incorporated by charter of Edward III, situated in North County Cork, Ireland.While there may be reason to suggest that the town may occupy the site of an earlier settlement of the Donegans, Carrig Donegan, the origins of the present town are clearly and...
, 2) Cormac MacCarthy na Mona, son of Cormac Mac Teige MacCarthy of MuskerryMacCarthy of MuskerryThe MacCarthy dynasty of Muskerry is a branch of the great MacCarthy Mor dynasty, the Kings of Desmond. Their branch descends from Dermod Mor MacCarthy, 1st Lord of Muscry , second son of Cormac MacCarthy Mor , King of Desmond....
The ordering of Owen's daughters varies and in one source Johanna is given as the eldest.