Donal MacCarthy Reagh of Kilbrittain

Donal MacCarthy Reagh of Kilbrittain (died 1636) was an Irish magnate who owned the extensive lands of Carbery (almost half a million acres) in south-western County Cork.

Donal MacCarthy Reagh of Kilbrittain
PredecessorDonal of the Pipes, 17th Prince of Carbery
SuccessorCharles MacCarthy Reagh of Kilbrittain
Died1636
Spouse(s)Ellen Roche
Issue
Detail
Charles MacCarthy Reagh of Kilbrittain & others
FatherCormac MacCarthy Reagh of Kilbrittain
MotherEleanor Fitzgibbon

Birth and origins

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Donal was born the son of Cormac MacCarthy Reagh and Eleanor Fitzgibbon. His father was the son and heir of Donal of the Pipes, 17th Prince of Carbery, but predeceased him. Donal, the subject of this article, therefore inherited the lands of Carbery from his grandfather. His father's family were the MacCarthy Reagh, a Gaelic Irish dynasty that branched from the MacCarthy-Mor line with Donal Maol MacCarthy Reagh, the first independent ruler of Carbery. This Donal was the 6th son of Donal Gott MacCarthy, a medieval King of Desmond.[1]

His mother was a daughter of Edmund Fitzgibbon, 11th White Knight,[2] and widow of Florence MacCarthy of Iniskean.[3] His mother's family, the Fitzgibbons, were Old English and descended from Maurice Fitzgibbon knighted in 1333 by Edward III.[4]

Family tree
Donal MacCarthy Reagh with wife, parents, and other selected relatives.[a] The Springhouse branch, at the right, will later produce the counts MacCarthy of Toulouse.
Donal
17th
Carbery

d. 1612
of the pipes
Margaret
FitzGerald
Cormac
MacCarthy
d.v.p.*
Eleanor
Fitzgibbon
David
7th Viscount
Fermoy

1573–1635
Owen
MacCarthy
Donal
Kilbrittain
d. 1636
Ellen
Roche
Charles
1st Viscount
Muskerry

d. 1641
Daniel
MacCarthy

d. 1666
Charles
Kilbrittain
Eleanor
MacCarthy

m. 1636
Denis
MacCarthy

d. 1712
Springhouse
Finghin
1625–1676
John de
Courcy
21st Baron
Kingsale

d. 1667
Ellen
MacCarthy
Reagh
Justin
MacCarthy

1685–1756
Legend
XXXSubject of
the article
XXXPrinces
of Carbery
XXXViscounts
Muskerry
XXXBarons
Kingsale
*d.v.p. = predeceased his father (decessit vita patris)

MacCarthy seems to have been the only son and perhaps even the only child of his parents. At least Lainé names no brothers or sisters of his.

From prince to esquire

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MacCarthy's grandfather was the 17th Prince of Carbery. He lost this title in 1606 in a surrender and regrant to King James  I[7] when the King confirmed the freehold of the lands but granted no title. The King probably expected a payment or at least the conversion to Protestantism. The MacCarthys of Muskerry, who were in a similar situation, obtained a viscountcy in 1628, probably for a payment.[8] From the rank of a prince therefore MacCarthy's grandfather fell to that of a commoner. At the death of his grandfather there was no title to succeed. At that time MacCarthy was a minor.[9] The inheritance was given to MacCarthy, who was called esquire of Kilbrittain.[b]

Marriage and children

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MacCarthy married Ellen Roche, eldest daughter of David Roche, 7th Viscount Fermoy.[11]

Donal and Ellen had at least one son:

  • Charles, succeeded as esquire of Kilbrittain and married Eleanor MacCarthy, born from his stepfather's 1st marriage.[12]

After MacCarthy's death in or before 1599[13] Ellen remarried to Charles MacCarthy, 1st Viscount Muskerry, who thus became Charles's stepfather. This was also Muskerry's second marriage.[14] From his first marriage Muskerry had a daughter Eleanor who became Charles's wife. Charles therefore married his stepfather's daughter from a previous marriage.

After Muskerry's death in 1641 Ellen married thirdly and last Thomas Fitzmaurice, 3rd son of Thomas Fitzmaurice, 18th Baron Kerry by his second wife Julia Power.[10][15]

Death and timeline

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The dates of MacCarthy's death and of his widow's remarriage are disputed. Some propose 1599 or earlier,[16] [17] others 1636 or later.[18][19][20] The earlier date is too near (26 years) to Ellen's father's birth in 1573.[21]

MacCarthy was succeeded by his son Charles, who married Eleanor MacCarthy, daughter of his stepfather Charles MacCarthy, 1st Viscount of Muskerry from his first marriage.[12]

Timeline
As his birth date is uncertain, so are all his ages.
Age Date Event
0 1570, about Born
28–29 1599, in or before Died[16]
30–31 1601, 22 Sep The Spanish landed at Kinsale[22]
32–33 1603, 24 Mar Accession of King James I, succeeding Queen Elizabeth I[23]
35–36 1606 Grandfather lost his title as prince of Carbery
41–42 1612 Succeeded his grandfather as esquire of Kilbrittain
54–55 1625, 27 Mar Accession of King Charles I, succeeding King James I[24]
65–66 1636 Died[18][13]

Notes and references

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Notes

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  1. ^ This family tree is based on genealogies of the MacCarthy Reagh dynasty.[5][6]
  2. ^ Esquire: Bernard Burke calls him so.[10]

Citations

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  1. ^ Gibson 1861, p. 84, line 9. "There were at this time [15th & 16th centuries] four distinct chieftainships of the Mac Carthys; the Mac Carthys Mor, or lords of Desmond, and their off-shoots, namely, the Mac Carthys Reagh of Carbery, the Donough Mac Carthys of Duhallow, and the Mac Carthys of Muskerry."
  2. ^ O'Hart 1892, p. 120, left column. "122. Cormac: son of Donal; m. [married] Eleanor, dau. [daughter] of Edmund Fitzgibbon, the White Knight ..."
  3. ^ Lainé 1836, p. 93. "... veuve de Florence Mac-Carthy d’Iniskean, et fille d’Edmond Fitz-Gibhon, dit le chevalier Blanc ..."
  4. ^ Graves 1871, p. 599. "And on this day, being St. Margaret's eve, the 19th of July, in Ano 1333, Desmonds three kingsmen were knighted in the fielde near Edenborough by Edward the third, King of England;"
  5. ^ O'Hart 1892, pp. 118–121.
  6. ^ Lainé 1836, pp. 79–102. "Genealogies of the MacCarthy Reagh"
  7. ^ Dunlop 1893, p. 443, left column. "In 1606 Donal-na-Pipi, regardless of his promise to Florence and his bond of 10,000l, surrendered the lordship of Carbery and received a grant of the same to hold in English tenure."
  8. ^ Gillespie 2006, p. 13, line 17. "... most drastically in the period from 1615 to 1628 when honours were freely available for sale."
  9. ^ Lainé 1836, pp. 93–94. "Donall ou Daniel Mac-Carthy-Reagh de Kilbritten, heritier de son aïeuil Donall-ni-Pipo, à la mort duquel il était mineur."
  10. ^ a b Burke 1883, p. 455, right column, line 42. "I. Ellen m. [married] 1st to Donell MacCarthy Reagh, of Kilbritain, co. Cork, Esq.; 2ndly to Charles Viscount Muskerry, and 3rdly to Thomas Fitzmaurice, 4th son of Thomas 18th Lord Kerry."
  11. ^ Burke 1883, p. 455, right column, line 42. "I. Ellen m. [married] 1st to Donell MacCarthy Reagh, of Kilbritain, co. Cork, Esq.; 2ndly to Charles Viscount Muskerry, and 3rdly to Thomas Fitzmaurice, 4th son of Thomas 18th Lord Kerry."
  12. ^ a b O'Hart 1892, p. 120, right column. "124. Cormac MacCarthy Reagh, Prince of Carbery: son of Donal; m. [married], before his father's death, Eleanor, dau. [daughter] of Cormac Oge, Lord Muscry ..."
  13. ^ a b McCarthy 1922, p. 121. "After his [Donal's] death, in 1636, Charles I by Letter Patent, granted her one-third of her husband's estate for dowry, as also permission to marry again, of which she availed herself."
  14. ^ Cokayne 1893, p. 425, line 31. "He [Charles MacCarty] m. [married] secondly, Ellen widow of Donnell MacCarthy Reagh, da. [daughter] of David (Roche), Viscount Fermoy ..."
  15. ^ Lodge 1789, p. 197, line 23. "Thomas [Fitzmaurice], who married Ellena, daughter of David, Viscount Fermoy, and widow of Donald MacCarthy Reagh and also of Charles, Lord Muskerry, by whom he had no issue."
  16. ^ a b Cokayne 1936, p. 441. "He [Muskerry] m. [married], 2ndly, in or before 1599, Ellen, widow of Donell Maccarthy Reagh, and da. [daughter] of David (Roche), Viscount Fermoy [I. [Ireland] ] ..."
  17. ^ Ohlmeyer 2004, p. 107, left column, line 31. "Donough's mother died in or before 1599 when his [Donough's] father married as his second wife Ellen (d. [died] in or after 1610), widow of Donnell MacCarthy Reagh and daughter of David Roche, seventh Viscount Fermoy."
  18. ^ a b Butler 1904, p. 2. "... a long inquisition taken in 1636, on the death of Donal, or Daniel, MacCarthy Reagh ..."
  19. ^ McCarthy 1922, p. 121, line 35. "After his [Donal's] death, in 1636, Charles I, by Letter Patent, granted her [Ellen] one-third of her husband's estate for dowry, as also the permission to marry again of which she availed herself."
  20. ^ Moody, Martin & Byrne 1984, p. 157. "Domhnall Of Kilbrittan d. 1636"
  21. ^ Ó Siochrú 2009, beginning. "Roche, David (c.1573–1635) ..."
  22. ^ Joyce 1903, p. 172. "On the 23d of September, 1601, a Spanish fleet entered the harbour of Kinsale with 3,400 troops ..."
  23. ^ Fryde et al. 1986, p. 44, line 1. "James I ... acc. 24 Mar. 1603 ..."
  24. ^ Fryde et al. 1986, p. 44, line 16. "Charles I. ... acc. 27 Mar. 1625 ..."

Sources

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