Richard II de Bermingham
Encyclopedia
Richard II de Bermingham, Anglo-Irish
lord, died 1580.
Richard had one of the longest terms as lord, but it was during these years that Athenry
came to decline. The succession crisis of the second Earl of Clanricarde
and the subsequent Mac an Iarla wars, devastate his lordship, to the point where he admitted to Sir Henry Sidney that though his was the oldest Anglo-Irish
lordship in Connacht
, he and his people were reduced to penury.
Two of the worst events were the 1572 Sack of Athenry
and its destruction by Aodh mac Maghnusa Ó Domhnaill
in 1577. While in the 1540s there were above three hundred prosperous houses in the town, there were by the 1570s less than forty, now of quality and many of their inhabitants ready to leave.
In response to the unrest, Richard permanently shifted the location of the lordship to Dunmore
, at the northern extent of his rule. The family would be based in the area henceforth, though still owning land and property in Athenry and its environs.
Richard died in 1580 but was so insignificant that his death is not reported in the annals.
Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish was a term used primarily in the 19th and early 20th centuries to identify a privileged social class in Ireland, whose members were the descendants and successors of the Protestant Ascendancy, mostly belonging to the Church of Ireland, which was the established church of Ireland until...
lord, died 1580.
Richard had one of the longest terms as lord, but it was during these years that Athenry
Athenry
Athenry is a town in County Galway, Ireland. It lies east of Galway city, and one of the attractions of the town is its medieval castle. The town is also well-known by virtue of the song "The Fields of Athenry".-History:...
came to decline. The succession crisis of the second Earl of Clanricarde
Earl of Clanricarde
Earl of Clanricarde is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Ireland, first in 1543 and again in 1800. The former creation became extinct in 1916 while the 1800 creation is still extant and held by the Marquess of Sligo since 1916....
and the subsequent Mac an Iarla wars, devastate his lordship, to the point where he admitted to Sir Henry Sidney that though his was the oldest Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish was a term used primarily in the 19th and early 20th centuries to identify a privileged social class in Ireland, whose members were the descendants and successors of the Protestant Ascendancy, mostly belonging to the Church of Ireland, which was the established church of Ireland until...
lordship in Connacht
Connacht
Connacht , formerly anglicised as Connaught, is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the west 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...
, he and his people were reduced to penury.
Two of the worst events were the 1572 Sack of Athenry
Sack of Athenry
For much of its history the town of Athenry was safe behind its walls, erected in the aftermath of the Second Battle of Athenry in 1316 during the height of the Bruce Wars...
and its destruction by Aodh mac Maghnusa Ó Domhnaill
Aodh mac Maghnusa Ó Domhnaill
Aodh mac Maghnusa Ó Domhnaill, , was An Ó Domhnaill and Rí of Tír Chonaill...
in 1577. While in the 1540s there were above three hundred prosperous houses in the town, there were by the 1570s less than forty, now of quality and many of their inhabitants ready to leave.
In response to the unrest, Richard permanently shifted the location of the lordship to Dunmore
Dunmore
Dunmore is a village in County Galway, Ireland. It is located on the N83 national secondary road at its junction with the R328 and R360 regional roads.Until the early 1980s, the N83 through Dunmore was on the main road from Sligo to Galway City...
, at the northern extent of his rule. The family would be based in the area henceforth, though still owning land and property in Athenry and its environs.
Richard died in 1580 but was so insignificant that his death is not reported in the annals.