Con O'Donnell


Son of Hugh Roe O'Donnell

1489

O'Donnell proceeded with an army into Trian-Chongail, in harvest time.
He committed great depredations and devestations in the Route upon Mac
Quillin, without receiving any injury, excepting that his son Con was
wounded. He went from thence to Belfast, and took and demolished the
castle of Belfast; and he then returned safe to his house, loaded with
immense spoils. AFM

1492


Con, the son of O'Donnell, was put in fetters by his father. AFM

1493

Hugh Roe O'Donnell and his sons, Con and Hugh, went with a great army
to the chiefs of Lower Connaught; he was joined by Felim O'Rourke, the
son of Donough, son of Tiernan Oge; by Owen, the son of Tiernan, son of
Tiege, at that time heir to the lordship of Briefny; and by Donnell,
the son of Owen O'Conor, Lord of Lower Connaught. And after they had
collected their forces in one place, O'Donnell proceeded directly
eastward into the province, until he arrived in Trian-Chongail. From
thence he proceeded into Lecale, thence to Iveagh, and thence to Orior
(Co Armagh); and he ravaged and plundered Lecale, and every territory
through which he passed that was hostile to him. While he (O'Donnell)
was on this expedition, Henry Oge O'Neill, the son of Henry, son of
Owen, assembled his forces, and was joined by Hugh Oge Mac Mahon the
son of Hugh Roe, son of Rury, and by Magennis, ie Hugh, the son of Art,
son of Hugh, with all their forces, and a countless host of others
besides them. This numerous army of O'Neill overtook O'Donnell at
Beanna-Boirche, and encompassed him in the van and the rear; but
O'Donnell sustained and withstood this overwhelming force firmly and
powerfully, until he led his army in safety through the difficulties of
the pass. At length the chiefs of both armies, reaching a level plain,
arranged and marshalled their forces for an engagement; and a fierce
and obstinate conflict, and a furious and dreadful battle, was fought
between them, in which they bore in mind all their old enmities and new
hatreds to one another. O'Neill and his forces were finally routed. In
this battle, O'Donnell slew John Roe, the son of Donough Mac Mahon, and
many others; and the darkness at the close of the day, and beginning of
the night, prevented O'Donnells forces from following up the pursuit as
they wished. They, therefore, pitched their camp for the night at the
place where they gained the battle, at Beanna-Boirche, and on the
merrow proceeded to their homes, after having gained victory and sway
in every territory through which they had passed. AFM

1494

John, son of Owen O'Donnell, was hanged by Con, the son of Hugh Roe
O'Donnell. AFM

1495

Con, the son of Hugh Roe O'Donnell, and his forces, surrounded the town
of Sligo, and continued to besiege it for some time. The descendants of
Owen O'Conor mustered a very great force to relieve Sligo, namely, the
sons of Rory Mac Dermot, the inhabitants of Tireragh of the Moy, the
Clann-Donough, and the inhabitants of Coolavin; and they proceeded in a
vast irresistable body towards the town. After Con had received
intelligence that these forces were marching towards him, he rose up
with his few troops, with Owen O'Rourke, Tanist of Breifny, and the
descendants of Donnell Cam, the son of Mac Donough, and marched forth
from their tents, vigorously and resolutely, to Bel-an-Droichit
(Ballydrihid), to meet and oppose them; and they came within bow-shot
of each other; and it was their wish not to give each other time or
pause, but to come to attack each other without delay or respite. And
now, when they had their weapons of valeur ready for action, O'Donnell
came up with them, for he had arrived from Scotland, and having heard
at his own fortress of Donegal of the danger his son was in, he had
stopped there only one night, and was now come to relieve him. Upon
O'Donnels arrival in the centre of his people, both armies gave each
other a fierce and vigorous battle, in which the Lower Connaught army
was defeated by O'Donnell, as was often the case with him to see the
backs of his enemies turned towards him. Many were slain and besides
them, many others of the nobles and plebians of Connaught were slain,
drowned, or taken prisoners in this defeat of Bel-an-Droichit.
O'Donnell then plundered and preyed his enemies throughout the
territory generally, until they became submissive to him. AFM

Con, son of Hugh Roe O'Donnell, with his great little army (Cons army
being so called because he was never in the habit of assembling a
numerous army, or more than 12 score axe men, for making a standing
fight, and 60 horsemen, for following up the rout, and taking
prisoners), marched to Mac Eoin of the Glins (northeast of Co Antrim),
for it had been told to Con that Mac Eoin (Fitz-John) had the finest
wife, steed (Dubhacoite by name), and hound, in his neighbourhood. Con
had before that time sent messengers for the steed, but was refused it,
though it had been promised by Con to one of his people. Con made no
delay, but surmounted the difficulties of every passage, until he
arrived at night with his 'great little' band at the house of Mac Eoin,
without having given him any previous notice or intelligence of his
designs, and immediately took Mac Eoin prisoner, and made himself
master of his wife his steed, and his hound, together with all his
other wealth, for he found the famous steed, and 16 others with it, in
the house on that occasion. The Glins were all plundered on the
following day by Cons people; but he afterwards made full restitution
to Mac Eoins wife of all such property as was hers; and as soon as he
had crossed the Bann, on his return westwards, he set her husband at
liberty for her, but he carried the steed, with vast preys and spoils,
with him to Tirhugh, and ordered the cattle-spoils to be left upon its
grassy fields. Immediately after this he went with his own faithful
people, and with the number of forces he was able to muster among those
under his father O'Donnells jurisdiction, and never halted until he
crossed the Shannon, and afterwards advanced into Munster, where he
totally plundered Magh O-gCoinchinn (Magunihy, southeast Co Kerry), in
Mac Carthys country; and he then returned with many plunders, spoils,
and preys, crossed the Erne, and proceeded to Donegal; and at
Ard-na-tineadh-aoil (Lime-kiln Hill) divided the spoils which he had
taken from Mac Carthys country in Munster, and the spoils which he had
carried off from Mac Eoin of the Glins, in the east of Ulster. These
achievements were performed by Con, the son of Hugh Roe, in the space
of 15 weeks. AFM

1497

Egneghan, the son of Naghtan, who was the son of Turlough-an-Fhiona
O'Donnell was slain in Hugh Roe O'Donnels camp, by his own foster son,
Con, son of Hugh, Gerald, son of Donnell, son of Felim O'Doherty, and
Brian Mac Clancy. AFM

Egnechan, the son of Nechtan O'Domhnaill, royal heir of Cenel-Conaill,
the man who experienced the most of his countrys adversity, in
connection with the chief command, and by who his enemies fell in
greatest number, was killed by Conn, the son of Aedh Ruadh O'Domhnaill,
in O'Domhnaills own fortress. ALC

Hugh Roe O'Donnell resigned his lordship on the 7th of the calends of
June, being friday, at Templecarn, in the Termon, in consequence of the
dissentions of his sons; and his son Con was nominated O'Donnell on the
ensuing tuesday. AFM

Walter, the son of Richard Burke, went with a fleet to assist the young
O'Donnell, Con, the son of Hugh Roe, against his brother, Hugh Oge.
After having landed, he was joined by Con; but both were defeated by
Hugh, and deprived of the greater part of their arms, armour, and
provisions. Hugh was himself in 2 days afterwards taken prisoner by
O'Donnell (Con), and sent to Connaught with Waiter, son of Rickard
Burke, to be confined in Conmaicne-cuile. AFM

An army was led by Con O'Donnell against Mac Dermot of Moylurg, ie
Teige, the son of Rory Mac Dermot. Only a few of the Connacians joined
his army on that occasion, namely, Felim, the son of Manus O'Conor,
Lord of Carbury, and Owen O'Rourke, Tanist of Breifny, with their
forces. A numerous body of forces was mustered by Mac Dermot, to oppose
them at Seaghais (the Curlieus), for the 2 O'Conors came with their
tribes and chieftains to join his force and muster. A great part of
O'Donnells army made their way by force to the Bealach-Buidhe (now
Ballaghboy) of Coirshliabh, under the conduct of Manus O'Conor, Owen
O'Rourke, and Niall Garv O'Donnell, on which occasion Cathal O'Rourke
and many others were slain in the pass of Bealach-Buidhe. The numerous
host of the Sil-Murray rose up in the middle of the army, and defeated
O'Donnell. Many were slain and taken prisoners in this battle. AFM

Henry Oge O'Neill, the son of Henry, son of Owen, marched with a great
army into Tirconnell, and first committed great destruction in Fanad.
The young O'Donnell (Con) met this army, on their leaving Fanad, at
Bel-atha-daire (Belladerry), on the River Leanainn; but Con O'Donnell
was defeated, and he himself was killed there, with 160 of his forces,
on the 19th of October. His 2 brothers, Niall Garv and Donnell, were
taken prisoners. The defeat took place on tuesday, 14th of the Calends
of November. Hugh Roe O'Donnell took possession of his lordship again,
by consent of God and man. AFM