THE O'NEILLS IN SPAIN

O'Donnell Lecture delivered at University College

Dublin, April 1957.

by

MICHELINE WALSH
 FOREWORD
THIS STUDY was read by Professor McBride as the First
O'Donnell Lecture. The unpublished documents on which
it is based are in overseas collections, but transcripts or
photographic copies are now filed in the archives of Belgrove,
University College, Dublin. Microfilm .copies of a great number
of them are also in the N atiorial Library of Ireland. Some of
these documents, numbered I to 109 in the notes, are to be
published later.
For their unfailing courtesy I thank the directors and staffs
of the many continental archives in which I worked; to the
director and staff of the National Library of Ireland it is
impossible to express adequately my appreciation of their
efficiency and help.

MICHELINE WALSH,
Belgrove, University College, Dublin.
 CONTENTS
PAGE

HENRY SON OF HUGH SON: OF FEARDORCHA • •• ••• 5

JOHN SON OF HUGH SON OF FEARDORCHA • •• ... IO

HUGO SON OF JOHN SON OF HUGH ... ••• ... 22

HUGO SON OF HENRY SON OF EOGHAN ROE ••• ... 27

ARTURO SON OF HUGH SON OF TURLOUGH MAC HENRY 29
DANIEL SON OF ARTURO SON OF HUGH ••• ... 31
SARA DAUGHTER OF CONN SON OF TURLOUGH ••• 33
NICOLAS SON OF RED HENRY SON OF NEILL ••• ... 37
!SABEL DAUGHTER OF RED HENRY SON OF NEILL ... 37
ARTURO SON OF RED HENRY SON OF NEILL ... ••• 38
TULIO SON OF TULLY SON OF RED HENRY ... ... 38
I·
TERENCIO SON OF AoDH Bui SON OF ART 6G ••• 40
FELIX SON OF HENRY SON OF FELIM ... ... ... 42
FELIX SON OF FELIX SON OF HENRY ... ... ... 43
JUAN SON OF FELIX SON OF HENRY ... ... ... 44
ENRIQUE SON OF JACOBO SON OF TEIGE ... ••• 44
 THE O'NEILLS IN SPAIN

Nofficial Spanish records there are many sixteenth century

I details of negotiations between the O'Neills and the Kings

of Spain or their representatives. 1 It was not, however,
until the Spring of 1600 that an O'Neill settled permanently
in Spain. 2 This was the thirteen year old Henry, 3 second son
of Great Hugh and his second wife, Siobhan, sister of Red
Hugh O'Donnell.

HENRY SON OF HUGH SON OF FEARDORCHA

In October of the previous year the Spanish Council of
State had given its approval, specifying that Henry would be
well treated and provided for; 4 he was in fact escorted to Spain
by one of the King's most trusted commanders, .Don Martin
de la Cerda, 5 placed for his education in Salamanca, 6 the Spanish
centre of learning of those days, and given an allowance of
two hundred ducats a month. 7
The following year Henry caused some trouble in Spanish
diplomatic circles by taking the Franciscan habi( 8 Being a
son of· Spain's strongest ally in Ireland and a minor, whose
1 Archivo General, Simancas (A.G.S.), Estado, legajos 812, 816, 830 and
839.
2
A.G.S., Estado, leg. 840.
3 Henry is mentioned in a petition of his father in 1587, Calendar of State
Papers, Ireland, 1587, p. 290, but his age is not given. We know, however,
from the epitaph inscribed on the tomb of his older brother, Hugh, in the
church of San Pietro in Rome, that when the latter died, 24th of September
1609, he was in his twenty-fourth year. From these two statements we
deduce that Henry was about a year younger than Hugh.
4 '. • • El hijo de Onel podria venir con presupuesto de haver de ser bien
tratado y regala do aca y que otra manera no convenia.' The report of the
Council meeting from which this is taken is not dated but was sent with
a letter dated the 1st of November 1599 from Idiaquez, Minister for
Finance and War, A.G.S., Guerra Antigua, leg. 3143. O'Neill's reply
to the King on the subject is still extant in A.G.S., Estado, leg. :a511. The
matter is also referred to in a letter of the Duke of Lerma, the King's
favourite and leader of the government, A. G.S., Estado, leg. 840. See
Documents I and 3. These documents, numbered I to 109, are to be
published later.
5 A.G.S., Estado, legajos 187 and 1743; see also Reportorium Novum, 1956,
p. 353. An account of the arrival of Don Martin and Henry in Santiago
de Compostela is contained in a letter from the Archbishop of Santiago
to the King, dated the 18th of May 1600, A.G.S., Estado, leg. 840. See
Document 2.
6
A.G.S., Estado, leg. 2511.
1 Pacata Hibernia, II, p. 95.
8
A.G.S., Guerra Antigua, leg. 3143.
5
education and welfare had been guaranteed in Spain by both
King and Council, this move, without his father's expressed
approval or knowledge, was discussion matter for several
meetings of the Spanish Council of State. At this early stage I
take much of my information about Henry from the minutes of
these meetings and the correspondence before them for
consideration.
On the 7th of May 1601 Mateo de Oviedo, a Spanish
Franciscan himself and future Archbishop of Dublin, writes
from Valladolid to Esteban de Ibarra, Spanish Secretary of
State for Finance and War:
I am ordered on behalf of His Majesty to go to Salamanca
to deal with this matter of Henry O'Neill becoming a
friar . . • and so I shall go and return quickly to deal with
our principal business. 1
Mateo, perhaps Ireland's greatest Spanish friend of all
time, was then engaged in negotiations concerning the help
to be sent to Irish chiefs in their fight against Elizabeth and
was annoyed with young O'Neill whose action was delaying
these preparations which Mateo considered of the utmost
importance and urgency. A month later he writes again to
Ibarra:
I beg you to order that an end should be made of this
matter of Don Enrique for there is little difficulty in taking
a decision. If it is desired to be disembarrassed of the
matter let it be entrusted to me and I shall deal with it and
give an account of it in such a way that God may be served
and that His Majesty and the boy's father may be satisfied .
. . . For the love of God do your best with the Duke and
the Confessor that we may be delivered from the
embarrassment of this young featherhead, which he is, to
free us for other things of more importance. 2
On the same day Mateo writes to the Duke of Lerma, the
King's favourite and leader of his government:
I repeat here again that it is infinitely important that
1
A.G.S., Guerra Antigua, leg. 3143.
1 The 12th of June 1601, A.G.S., Guerra Antigua, leg. 3143. On the 19th of
June 1601 Cardenal de Guevara reports to the King the Junta's considered
opinion on this incident. A.G.S., Estado, leg. 2511. See Document 4.
6
 the messenger-boat should go to Ireland, as Your Excellency
had decided at the beginning of Lent; it is in La Corufia,
ready to leave for the past two months. . . . The letters
to the Irish chiefs are already written and with Esteban
de Ibarra, and I say that it is most important that the boat
should go immediately for the reasons and purpose which
Your Excellency knows well.
Esteban de lparra says that he suspects that the boat
is being held up until there is some news of Don Enrique
O'Neill. It seems to me that, if Your Excellency be pleased,
the matter is already settled by the theological opinions I
brought from Salamanca which affirm that, in becoming a
friar, this youngster sins mortally and that His Majesty
will serve God well in commanding him to give up the
habit by order of the Nuncio; and should Your Excellency
wish to proceed with more leniency, this young man could
be told that, if he wishes to be ·a friar, it must be in Ireland
,vhere there arc as many good opportunities as in Spain.
With this I believe that he will return to secular clothes
and, should he still persevere, let us return him with the
habit to his father and let him deal with the matter.
I beseech Your Excellency to order that there should
be an end of the business of this youth for it is holding
up a thousand things and his servants are wandering
about, some in Salamanca and others here causing great
expense to His Majesty. 1
Henry evidently gave up his ideas of becoming a friar for,
barely a month later, Mateo writes again, though it is not clear
to whom, that he is now giving the final orders concerning
Don Enrique. 2
Henry continued at Salamanca and, in 1603, was reported
to be 'much esteemed and well received amongst the Spaniards.' 3
Two years later, despite the opposition and intriguing of English
agents, 4 he was given the colonelcy of an Irish regiment in
the service of Spain. 5 The regiment was to serve in the Low
1
A.G.S., Guerra Antigua, leg. 3143.
2
The 10th of July 1601, A.G.S., Guerra Antigua, leg. 3143.
3
Calendar of State Papers, Ireland, 1603, p. 573.
4
Public Records Office, London, (P.R. O.L. ), the Trumbull Correspondence;
also A. G.S., Estado, leg. 2584, and Estado, Flandes, leg. 2225. See
Documents s, 6 and 7.
5
A.G.S., Estado, legajos 202 and 624. See Documents 8 and 9.
7
Countries and Henry arrived in Brussels towards the end of
1605 1 when Spain was still at war with the United Provinces
and the commander-in-chief of the Spanish forces, the Marques
de Spinola, 2 was at the height of his fame.
It is of interest to note that many senior and well-known
southern Irish leaders offered to serve in this regiment under
the youthful Henry; amongst these were Cornelius O'Driscoll3
and the Conde de Biraven, Donal O'Sullivan Beare of Dunboy.
In a letter to the Conde de Caracena, Governor of Galicia,
the King expresses his appreciation of O'Sullivan's offer but
does not wish him to enter into rivalry with the young O'Neill
'who is to be the only colonel of the Irish' in Flanders. 4
In the campaign of 1606 the young colonel saw action with
his regiment in both Flanders and Germany. 5 Early in 1607,
however, negotiations for peace brought the suspension ·of
hostilities, and when, in October of that year, Henry met his
father and stepmother and many of his kith and kin of the
famous Flight of the Earls on their journey through Flanders,
his regiment was quartered in the Bruges district. 6
On the I 3th of August I 609, Henry was granted permission
to go to Spain 'on personal business and on business of his
father'. 7 On the journey he was accompanied by Captain
1
A.G.S., Estado, leg. 202; also Archives Generales du Royaume, Brussels,
Secretairerie d'Etat et de Guerre, Registre des patentes, titres, ordres et
depeches, Registre XVII, f. 399 v., as quoted by Dr. Brendan Jennings,
o.F.M., in Studies, 1948, p. 195.
2
Spinola was a wealthy Italian nobleman of great military talent who had
come to the service of Spain in 1602. He had already raised for the war
of Flanders an army of six thousand men at his own expense. After his
success at the siege of Ostend in 1604 Philip III made him Secretary for
Finance, Knight of the Tois6n de Oro and Commander-in-Chief of the
troops in Flanders, a post which he filled with distinction for almost a
quarter of a century. 0 Cianain, whose account of the incident is preserved
in manuscript in the Franciscan Convent of Dun Mhuire, tells of the
meeting of Spinola and the Earls of Tyrone and Tyrconnell in 1607:
'Dia sathairn bui ar a gcinn tainic marcues Spinnala, ard-general armala
righ na Spainne a fFlonndrus, go n-imat do dhaoinibh ro-on6racha
chuca 6 Bruxel. Dogni forffailte friu. Glacuiss chuicce go hon6rach iad.
Do-rad cuiredh d6ip chom a medh6in la6i ar n-a mharach a mBruxel. ..
Cuiriss chuca san ar maidin dia domhnaigh a riachtanus a less c6istidhe
agus eachraidhe as go raghdaoiss go hinnill on6rach do ]athoir in arsadiuc.'
See Archivium Hib~rnicum, II, Flight of the Earls, p. 42.
3
A.G.S., Estado, leg. 843. See Documents 10 and r r.
' A.G.S., Estado, leg. 205. See Document 12.
5
A.G.S., Estado, leg. 1750.
6
Archivium Hibernicum, II, Flight of the Earls, p. 4z.
' A.G.S., Estado, leg. 1752, and Real Academia de la Historia, Madrid,
Colecci6n Salazar, A-63, f. 95. See Documents 16 and 17.

8
Eugenio O'Neill, 1 his first cousin, and by Captain John Bath2
who had, two years earlier, acted as captain of the boat which
brought the exiled Earls to France. Despite the letters3 which
Henry brought to the King of Spain from the Archduke 4 in
Flanders and from General Spinola, expressing their extreme
satisfaction with his courage and services and recommending
him to the King's _favour, there was some delay in the settling
of his affairs 5 and six months later Henry asked and received
an extension of his leave of absence. 6 The following summer,
as arrangements were being made for his return to Flanders,
Henry became ill. He died in the small town of Aranda, where
the court was then in residence, on the 25th of August 1610,
at the early age of twenty-three. 7 Three days later the King
of -Spain wrote to his ambassador at Rome 8 informing him of
the event and saying how much he ·regretted his death, not
merely because he was a son of his father but also for his own
good parts and the services he rendered to Spain. 9
1
A.G.S., Estado, leg. 1753. See Document 33. Further references to
Eugenio O'Neill are contained in A.G.S., Estado, legajos 1750, 1751
and 1753. See Documents 18, 24, 28, and 34.
2
A.G.S., Estado, leg. 1751. See Document 22. On the 29th of July 1610
Great Hugh wrote from Rome to the King of Spain, who had advised a
reconciliation with the King of England, proposing that John Bath be
sent to London and entrusted with the negotiations. A.G.S., Estado,
leg. 1754. See Document 26. Further references to John Bath are contained
in A. G.S., Estado, Flandes, leg. 629. See Documents 39 and 40.
3
I have not succeeded in tracing the originals of these letters but they are
referred to in a letter of Archbishop Florence Conry, A.G.S., Estado,
leg. 1750. See Document 28.
4
The Archduke, Albert of Austria, was a nephew of Philip II of Spain who
appointed him Governor of Spanish Flanders in 1596. He married the
Infanta Isabel Clara Eugenia, daughter of Philip II, and continued as
Governor of Flanders until his death in 1621.
5 A.G.S., Estado, leg. 175r. See Document 26.
6
A.G.S., Estado, leg. 1752. See Document 19.
7
A.G.S., Estado, legajos 994 and 997. Although the allowance granted to
Henry by the King of Spain was generous, it was rarely paid regularly or
in full; consequently it is not surprising to find that Henry died in debt
both in Spain and in Flanders, A.G.S., Estado, legajos 226, 1750 and 1753.
See Documents 15, 30 and 32.
8 Don Francisco de Castro, Duque de Taurisano and Conde de Castro,
was ambassador at Rome from 1609 to 1616. His many official reports,
still preserved, show clearly his respect and admiration for the Earl of
Tyrone as well as the intimate confidence which existed between the
two men; until they are published it would be rash to write the life of
Great Hugh.
9 A.G.S., Estado, leg. 994. See Document 27. There is a list of seventy-
one Irishmen who were at the Spanish court with Henry O'Neill the month
before his death, A.G.S., Estado, leg. 2513. See Document 25. Towards
the end of the same year there is another list, A.G.S., Estado, leg. 226.
See Document 31.

9
 Henry's death was a cause of great anxiety as well as sorrow
to his countrymen knowing, as they did, the danger that
threatened the existence of the regiment of Tyrone which the
English sought by every means to destroy or control; 1 this
opportunity of forcing into the vacant colonelcy a man of their
choice was one which, it was felt, would not be missed. Already
it was known that the major of the regiment was in the pay of
the English but the delicate situation between Spain and England
made it difficult to act openly in the matter. 1
During his illness, ·and feeling that death was near, Henry
himself sent a petition to the King of Spain begging him not to
allow the colonelcy of his regiment to be given to anyone
without the consent of his father, the Earl of Tyrone. 2
Inspired by the same fear Archbishop Florence Conry wrote
to the King a fortnight after the death of Henry; he stressed
the advantage of appointing immediately to the colonelcy
Captain Eugenio O'Neill, nephew of Tyrone, 3 a choice which
he felt would meet with the Earl's approval and thus avoid
the awkward situation of having either to allow the English to
gain control of the regiment, or else openly deny them their
request. 4 The King, however, was not to be hurried and
made no decision until he received from his ambassador at
Rome a petition from the Earl of Tyrone asking that his son
John O'Neill be appointed to the colonelcy of the regiment.
This request was granted. 5

JOHN SON OF HUGH. SON OF FEARDORCHA

Born in October 1599, 6 John was the son of Great Hugh's

fourth wife, Catherine Magennis. He had left Ireland with
1 A.G.S., Estado, legajos 210 and 2025. See Documents 13 and 14.
2 A.G.S., Estado, legajos 1750 and 1861. See Documents zg and 29.
3 A short time before Henry's death Don Diego Brochero had recommended
another nephew of Tyrone to act as colonel of the regiment as he was
'more experienced in military matters than his cousin Henry'; this was
Arturo, or Art O'Neill, who had left Ireland with Tyrone in 1607. He
was a son of Tyrone's brother, Cormac, who had been imprisoned
immediately after the Flight of the Earls and was at this time in the Tower
of London, A.G.S., Estado, leg. 1751, and A.G.S., Estado, Flandes, leg.
634. See Documents 20, 21 and 23.
4 A.G.S., Estado, leg. 1750. See Document 28.
5
A.G.S., Estado, le·g. 1861. See Document 29.
6
Calendar of State Papers, Ireland, 1599, p. 204.
IO
his parents in 16o71 and when the Earls went on to Rome he
was entrusted, with his younger brother Brian, to the care of
the Irish Franciscans in Louvain. 2 Within the next three years
he was to learn of the deaths of his half brothers, Hugh and
Henry, and of his own appointment to the colonelcy of the
regiment of Tyrone. In I 6 I 2, when John was about to receive
confirmation, his father, now seeking to draw the King's favours
to this next son, asked that His Majesty be sponsor. This
request was discussed at .a meeting of the Council of State
which, still fearing to give offence to the English king,
recommended that the Spanish ambassador in Flanders should
act as sponsor for the boy, but in his own name and not on
.behalf of the King. 3
The following year John went to the court at Brussels as
page to the Infanta Isabel. 4 His· father continued his unceasing
efforts to obtain for the boy any advancement that could be
of use to him and to the cause of his exiled countrymen. In
1614 the Earl of Tyrone sent another petition to the King of
Spain asking him to make the young colonel Knight of the
Military Order of Santiago. 5 This request was also refused
and the King answered that there were others whose merits
and prior claims must be attended to, but that anything that
could be done for the boy would be considered. 6
Tyrone then applied his efforts in another direction and
in July I 615 we read of the arrival in Brussels of his chaplain,
1
Archivium Hibernicum, II, The Flight of the Earls, p. 73.
2
Dr. Brendan Jennings, o.F.M., Studies, 1941, p. 226.
3
A.G.S., Estado, legajos 997 and 998. See Documents 35, 36 and 37.
4
A.G.S., Estado, leg. 1000. See Document 38.
5 A. G.S., Estado, Roma, leg. 1000. See Document 38. A year later
the King was asked again, this time through his ambassador in
Flanders, to make John O'Neill a Knight of Santiago, but though the King
then gave his approval John did not receive a knighthood until 1632,
A.G.S., Estado, Flandes y Rolanda, leg. 2299, and ArchivB Hist6ri'co
Nacional, Madrid, (A.H.N., Madrid), Calatrava, exp. 1832. See Documents
41 and 52. .
~ '. . . Ya veys que debiera acudir a quien sirve y tiene noticia de sus partes
y assi le podriades · guiar a esto y de Io que aca se pudiere hazer por el se
tendra cuydado. . . . ' The King to Castro from San Lorenzo, the I 5th of
November 1614, A.G.S., Estado, Roma, leg. 1000.

II
Father Chamberlain,1 to conclude a match 2 planned between
John and the daughter of Mancisador, Secretary for War in
the government of the Archduke. 3 Shortly afterwards the
English representative in Flanders, Trumbull, ever fearful
lest any event might improve the position of the exiled Earls,
wrote to his government:
Having an eye still upon the alliance in treaty between
the Irish colonel and the daughter of secretary Mancisador,
which now seemeth to grow more mature than when I
formerly wrote thereof, it was my chance to light upon a
letter, the copy whereof I send herein enclosed..•• I am
verily persuaded of the truth of that information and think
it is high time some underhand means were used
to prevent the match. . . .4
Trumbull's underhand means may have been effective; at
.any rate the projected marriage did not take place. 5
:i Father Chamberlain, a Franciscan and lecturer at St. Anthony's College
in Louvain, is the Robert Mac Arthur referred to in the informatiE>n given
by Sir Neale O'Donnell, the 7th of August 1606: 'One Robert M'Arthur,
a Jesuit, is now in England in the habit of a captain, and doth from thence
advertise the Earls of all occurrences. This man was some five yeam since
sent into Spain from the Earl of Tyrone, and now carried some other
name'. Tomas O Cleirigh, Aodh Mac Aingil, pp. 110 sq. In 1607 he was
at Douai with Florence Conry to meet the Earls on their way to Flanders,
Archivium Hibernicum, II, Flight of the Earls, p. 37. He was chaplain to
Tyrone, and attended the Earl at the time of his death in Rome in 1616,
Meehan, Fate and Fortunes of O'Neill and O'Donnell, p. 444.
2 Meehan, Fate and Fortunes of O'Neill and 0' Donnell, p. 456. When
Meehan wrote this work the exact date of Henry O'Neill's death was
unknown; the author therefore assumed the incident quoted here to refer
to Henry.
3 Cardinal Bentivoglio, Guerra di Fiandra, p. 377.
4 As cited by Meehan, Fate and Fortunes of O'Neill and O'Donnell, p. 458.
5 The continued efforts of the English to destroy the Regiment of Colonel
John O'Neill were not, however, so successful, as shown by a report of
the 16th of April 1616, A.G.S., Estado, Flandes, leg. 2299. See
Document 44. The survival of the regiment was considered by Great
Hugh to be of the utmost importance. At his request the Spanish
Ambassador in Rome wrote to the King, on the 9th of December 1615,
urging that measures be taken to prevent its destruction, A.G.S., Estado,
Flandes, leg. 2030. See Document 42. The Spanish Council of State
discussed this letter and on the roth of February 1616 the order was given
to send the necessary instructions to the Archduke in Flanders, A.G.S.,
Estado, leg. 2030. See Document 43. In his reply of the 20th of April
r 6 r 6 the Archduke assured the King of his constant care in the matter,
A.G.S., Estado, Flandes, leg. 229. See Document 45. Great Hugh,
however, was not satisfied that the measures taken were sufficient. Towards
the end of the following month he wrote to the King from his enforced
exile in Rome insisting that more urgent orders be sent to ·the Archduke,
A.G.S., Estado, leg. 634. See Document 46. Though now failing in health
12
 In r 6 r 6, barely a year later, John's father died in Rome, 1
and in 1617, Brian, his younger brother, was assassinated in
Brussels. 2 The only other surviving son of Great Hugh was
Con na Creige, the unfortunate boy who was left behind at
the time of the Flight and captured by the English. In I 622
he was committed to the Tower of London after which nothing
more is heard of. him. 3
John succeeded to his father's Spanish title of Conde de
Tyron4 and continued as colonel of the Regiment of Tyrone
in Flanders, whence many, and he himself also, hoped that he
would return to Ireland and renew the struggle that had led

and nearing the end of his life, despite betrayals, despite frustrations
imposed on him by the persistent Spanish policy of appeasement and the
constant refusals of the Spanish king to allow him leave Rome to organise
an invasion of Ireland, O'Neill's spirit was unbroken. His active mind
was still planning the invasion, the success of which depended so much
on the strength and prestige of his son's regiment. At ·this time he writes
to the King that if his sons do not regain their territories during his life-
time they will be lost to them forever. He knows his own time is brief
and 'since I must die soon', he writes, 'I should prefer to do so in Ireland
fighting for the Catholic Faith even with only a hundred men.' A.G.S.,
Estado, Roma, leg. 1002.
1· The 20th of July 1616. Cardinal Borja was then Spanish Ambassador in
Rome and had succeeded to the Conde de Castro shortly before the
death of Great Hugh. His letter, reporting O'Neill's death to the King,
was discussed at a meeting of the Spanish Council of State on the 27th of
· August 1616, A.G.S., Estado,. Roma, leg. 1002. See Document 47.
~ In the Latin MS. 3947 of the Bibliotheque Royale in Brussels the
contemporary Fr. Donatus Mooney gives a detailed account of the death
of Brian. See Analecta Hibernica, VI, pp. 127-130.
3
Referring to this son there is a letter preserved amongst the correspondence
discussed at the meeting of the Spanish Council of State on the 31st of
July 1615. It is written from Rome by the Earl of Tyrone the year before
he died there: 'Naturally,' he writes, 'I have to die within four or six years
and I do not wish it to be without the consolation of dying :fighting for my
religion and the territories of my forebears. . . • The King of England . . .
in order to take the country from Catholics • . . has confiscated their
property and estates dividing them amongst English and Scotch . . . and
from many families they have snatched the young heirs and orphans and
forcibly reared them in England in the English religion and married them
to English women • . . and they have snatched a young son of mine and
to-day they are rearing him in their religion, but I trust in God that the
blood he has in his veins will not permit such a deception and that one
day he will avenge for me this outrage.' A.G.S., Estado, leg. 845. There
are two more letters referring to this son of Tyrone 1s, one from Andres
Velazquez, dated the 13th of September 1615> and the other from Florence
Conry, Archbishop of Tuam, A.G.S., Estado, Flandes, leg. 629. See
Documents 39 and 40.
4
A.H.N., Madrid, Calatrava, exp. 1832. Spain recognised Great Hugh's
title of second Earl of Tyrone translating it by 'Conde de Tyron'; although
not recognised in England the title was granted by Spanish Kings to several
O'Neills until the end of the seventeenth century. Officially John was the
third of this title.
13
to the exile of his father. 1 To further this aim John left
Brussels for Madrid where, shortly after his arrival in I 630,
he submitted two memorials1 to the commissioners2 appointed
by the King to examine his claims. One of these memorials
contains detailed plans for an invasion of Ireland; the other
is an alternative request that the restitution of his estates
should be included in the peace negotiations between Spain
and England. The commissioners felt that the time was not
ripe for the execution of such plans and advised the King to
await a more favourable occasion. They recommended, however,
that, in consideration of O'Neill's high rank and nobility and of
the services rendered by his family to Spain and the Catholic
religion, the King should show him particular favour and
honour and for the present increase his pay in Flanders· by
two hundred crowns a month. This, they hasten to add,
remembering the many demands made on the King's treasury
by the exiled Irish, cannot create a precedent, for the case of
no other person could present the same impelling reasons and
circumstances. The commissioners also suggest that, in order
to ensure the succession of such a noble family, a marriage
should be arranged between O'Neill and some lady of noble
and wealthy origin. 3
John O'Neill remained in Madrid for the next three years
and though the marriage plans were not successful he received
the honour denied to him some years previously; in May 1632
he was made Knight Commander of the military order of
Calatrava. 4
1
A.G.S., Estado, leg. 2044. See Documents 49 and 50.
2 Inigo Velez de Guevara y Tassis, Conde de Oiiate, and Garcia de Haro,
Conde de Castrillo, who were both members of the Council of State.
Ofiate, who is said to have been one of the most influential politicians of
his day, was later to become Spanish Ambassador in Rome and Viceroy
of Naples. Castrillo had been professor and rector of the University of
Salamanca; later he succeeded to Ofiate as Viceroy of Naples and became
President of the Consejo de Castilla.
3 A.G.S., Estado, Flandes y Rolanda, leg. 2044. See Document 51.
4
A.H.N., Madrid, Calatrava, exp. 1832. The military order of Calatrava,
together with that of Santiago, is one of the highest and most select military
orders of Spain. Among the records of this order are preserved soveral
documents submitted by O'Neill at the time of his admission. These include
a genealogy and the depositions of twenty-three witnesses who acted as his
sponsors on this occasion; they were: Ricardo Goldeo, Hugo de Burgo,
Gaspar Chillan, Phelipe O'Sullevan Bear, Arturo Hagan, Cornelio Quillin,
Daniel Conrryo, Dermicio O'Sullevan Bear, Elena O'Sullevan Bear,
Dionisio Conveo, Francisco Ruarque, Eugenio Carti, Malaquias Conaldo,
Carlos Carty, Thadeo Combeo, Thadeo Conaldo, Patricio Henriquez y
Cahan, Juan Combeo, Antonio O'Driscol, Grifin Morkams. See Document
52.
 At the beginning of November of the following year and
a few days before his son, Hugo Eugenio, was born, John returned
to his regiment in Ffa;nders. 1 During the next few years we
find several references to the efforts made by the French to draw
O'Neill and his regiment to their service,2 which is perhaps a
reason why he and his regiment were ordered to Spain. He sailed
from Flanders early in I 638 3 and we find him next in La
Corufia in June of the same year. 4
There he was joined by the Count of Tirconnell, Colonel
Hugo Alberto O'Donnell, nephew of Red Hugh, whose regiment
had also been ordered to the Peninsula. 4 The following month
O'Neill and O'Donnell received permission to visit the court
and made the journey to Madrid. 5 Before they reached their
destination the King had received two petitions from O'Neill.
The first of these, discussed at a meeting of the Council of
State, asked that he be given 'a .house suitable for his position,
a carriage and maintenance, as he had received the first time
he came to the court with the Duque de Ariscot'. The Council
recommended that this be done as his stay would be short.
But Philip IV, through his own experience and that· of his
father, had learned the need for caution when faced with the
delicate susceptibilities of the houses of O'Neill and O'Donnell.
On the Council's report we find this comment in the King's
handwriting, showing his preoccupation that when making a
grant to an O'Neill the existence of an O'Donnell was not to
be forgotten:
Examine what can be done with the Count of Tyrconell
1
A.H.N., Madrid, Calatrava, exp. 1833. See Document 77.
2
In a letter dated the 19th of January 1635 to the Cardenal Infante, Don
Fernando, Governor of Flanders, his brother Philip IV mentions rumours
that the French were making attempts to detach O'Neill and O'Donnell
from the Spanish service and draw them to their own, Dr. Brendan
Jennings, O.F.M., Studies, 1941, p. 234. We find these rumours confirmed
by French sources; on the 3 xst of December I 636 the Marquis de Senneterre,
French. Ambassador in Flanders, writes that an Irish gentleman named
Crosby offers to bring to the service of France troops of Irish veterans
then at the French frontiers and believes that he can bring with them the
Count of Tyrone, Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, Fonds fran~ais, 15993,
ff. 199, 200. The Spaniards, disturbed by the possible loss of such valuable
troops, discussed the matter at a meeting of the Council of State in 1638,
A.G.S., Estado, leg. 661. There are many further documents on the
subject in A.G.S., Estado, legajos 2521 and 2661. See Documents 55,
56, 63, 64, and 66.
3
A.G.S., Estado, leg. 252r. See Document 54.
4
A.G.S., Estado, leg. 2661.
5
A.G.S., Estado, leg. 2521. See Document 57.
15
 considering that both of them are coming to serve in my
household; from what my brother1 has written to me I
do not know how the matter may be adjusted evenly. 2
Perhaps we should pause for a moment in sympathy with
these Spanish Kings and admire their patience and under-
standing over years of requests and counter requests to ensure
that neither family was favoured more than the other. I mention
very briefly some of the many incidents to be found in con-
temporary Spanish records of the period in question:
Thirty-nine years earlier, confronted with this problem,
Mateo de Oviedo advised Philip III that two equally important
posts must be found for the O'Neill and O'Donnell of those
days. 3 To balance matters, his suggestion to the King was
that one should be appointed General for the War and the
other Governor for the Peace. 4
Three years later, as he was dying in the castle of Simancas,
Red Hugh O'Donnell wrote in his will:
Also I declare, that in case the Earl O'Neill (though
I know and believe he will not do so) should wish to
violate the agreement and settlements arranged and made
between him and me and our heirs, I hereby beg His
Majesty to uphold my brother in his rights and to retain
him in his service.
Also I say and declare this is one of the terms of our
agreement, that all aid and help sent by His Majesty to the
Earl O'Neill and to me shall be divided into two equal parts,
and the same shall take place with regard to our heirs,
seeing that one claims no pre-eminence above the other,
and whichever of them shall be the elder in walking
together shall be at the right of the other. I beseech His
Majesty to uphold my brother according to the agreement,
and to oblige him to serve all the better, I pray His Majesty
to place him in some position of trust with a sufficient
salary. 5
1 The Cardenal Infante, Don Fernando, Governor of Flanders.
2
The 13th of July 1638, A.G.S., Estado, leg. 2521. See Documents 57
and 58.
3
Great Hugh, Earl of Tyrone, and Red Hugh O'Donnell, Earl of Tyrconnell.
4 'General para la guerra y gobernador para la paz,' A.G.S., Guerra
Antigua, Parte de Mar, leg. 3 r43.
5
A.G.S., Estado, leg. 2511.
 In 1608- when the Earls of Tyrone and Tyrconnell1 arrived
in Rome the King of Spain made them a monthly allowance of
four hundred and three hundred crowns respectively. Tyrone
then warned the Spanish ambassador2 of the trouble this might
cause and the ambassador reports to the King:
. . . The Count of Tyrone does not wish TyrGonnell to
know that Tyr«>ne is being given more because they are
friends and this advantage would be the cause of great
•
enmity . • . .3
The Earl of Tyrconnell died in Rome the following July,'
and some years later, in order to bring about a closer unity
between the two families, a marriage was suggested between a
sister5 of the young Earl of Tyrconnell, Hugh Albert, and John
O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, but these plans were ·unsuccessful.•
In 1622 the Earl of Tyrconnell, although junior to O'Neill,
insisted that his grant should be raised by fifty crowns monthly
in order that his allowance be equal to that of .the Earl of
Tyrone. 8 ·

The following year the Earl of Tyrconnell was in Spain and

wrote in a letter to the Conde de Olivares, head of the Spanish
government:
. . . I do not consider myself inferior in rank, services
and obligations to the Counts of Tiron ... and only His
Majesty is powerf~l enough to overshadow my house
and no one lower than a king in Ireland, Scotland or
England. . . . 7
In 1625 when the young Earl of Tyrconnell was ready for
army service he had to be given a commission in a Spanish
cavalry regiment for he could not serve under O'Neill, Earl

1 Great Hugh O'Neill and Rory O'Donnell, brother of Red Hugh.

2 The Marques de Aytona was Spanish Ambassador in Rome at the time
of the Earls' arrival there and, the following year, was succeeded by the
Conde de Castro. -
3 The 22nd of May 1608, 'El Conde de Tiron no quiere que sepa el de
Tirconel que se le da a el mas porque son amigos y esta ventaja seria causa
de gran enemistad'. A.G.S., Estado, leg. 988.
4 The 28th of July 1608.
5 Mary, daughter of Rory O'Donnell and of Bridget Fitzgerald, daughter
of the Earl of Kildare.
6 Dr. Brendan Jennings, o.F.M., Studies, 1941, pp. 228 and 231.
7 The 30th of December 1623, A.G.S., Estado, leg. 2516.
of Tyrone, colonel of the Irish Regiment. 1 This position
was rectified later by the Spaniards who had another Irish
regiment formed and placed under the command of
Tyrconnell. 1
In 1629 when Archbishop Florence Conry went to Spain to
put forward a scheme for the invasion of Ireland, it was agreed
to forestall jealousies by making both Tyrconnell and Tyrone
generals. 1
Tyrconnell visited the court at Madrid and was made
Knight of Alcantara; 2 when Tyrone visited Madrid he was
made Knight of Calatrava. 3
. In 1640 0 1 Neill was appointed member of the Supreme
Council of War. 4 So far I have come across no documentary
evidence that O'Donnell received the same honour. Perhaps
his end came too soon, for shortly afterwards, in an engagement
off Barcelona, his ship took fire and : he and some thirty of
his regiment were drowned. 5
A contemporary sums up the two men thus:
. Tyrconnell, an accomplished courtier, expert in matters
of war, of the greatest courage, but less prudent than
Tyrone, a man of singular judgement. 6
Before our digression on the rivalries of the houses of Tyrone
and Tyrconnell we left John O'Neill on his way to the court
in July 1638. He reached his destination on the 25th of the
same month when he wrote to the King:
The weather and the journey have prevented the Count
of Tyrconnell and myself from arriving, as we had wished,
before to-night. We humbly beg Your Catholic Majesty
to compensate for this delay by ordering immediately that

1 Dr. Brendan Jennings, o.F.M., Studies, 1941, pp·. 2:28, 230, 232.
2 A.H.N., Madrid, Alcantara, exp. 736.
3
A.H.N., Madrid, Calatrava, ·exp. 1832.
4 A.G.S., Guerra Antigua, leg. 1428.
5 Cesareo Fernandez Duro, Armada Espanola, IV, pp. 298 and 316.
• '. • • Tirconellius aulicus politissimus, in disciplina militari versatissim.us,
animi plenissimus, sedminus prudens quam Tironius, homo consultissimus.'
Commentariiu Rinuccinianus.
18
 we should be employed in your royal service which is the
life we most desire in this world. 1
On his return to the court the following month O'Neill
again pressed his claims representing that his t,venty-eight
years' continuous service in Flanders entitled him to more
promotion than he had received. He also reminds the King
that the O'Neill family was of royal blood and that his father
had always been treated by the King's predecessors and the
other Princes of Europe with the same honour and consideration
extended to Grandees of Spain. 2 O'Neill's proll_lotion, however,
was again delayed; the more urgent matter of the war with
France was claiming all the attention of the court.
At that time the French were besieging the town of
Fuenterrabfa with an army of 22,000 under the Prince de
Conde and the Due de la Valette. The citizens and the small
garrison consisting of only five companies had been holding
out for two months when, at the beginning of September, a
relieving army of 12,000 Spaniards reached the French lines.
With this army was Colonel John O'Neill. 3 Within a short
time Conde's army was routed, 4 and, in the words of a delighted
Spanish writer:
The French were panic-stricken. The Archbishop of
Bordeaux5 took refuge in his ships and Conde followed
him wading through the water to reach a launch; the
others did not stop until they reached Bayonne. cs
After the defeat of the French at Fuenterrabia John returned
to Madrid. At the end of September another memorial from
him is submitted to the King, again asking for a 'house, carriage
1 A.G.S., Estado, leg. 2521. See Documents 59 and 60. O'Neill
remained but a few days at the court and, having during that time sent
two letters and two memorials to the King and the Secretary of the Council
of State, he returned to his regiment, A.G.S., Estado, leg. 2661. See
Documents 61, 62, and 63. He states in one of these memorials that
he has heard of the arrival in Spain of two messengers sent by Richelieu
in an attempt to draw his regiment to the service of France and 'he fears
that they may be daring enough to go to the regiment and attempt some
disturbance.'
2
A.G.S., Estado, leg. 2521. See Document 65.
3
A.H.N., Madrid, Calatrava, exp. 1833.
4
The Due de la Valette was blamed for this disaster; he took refuge in
England and was condemned to death in his absence.
5
The Archbishop was in command of a fleet blockading the town.
8
Lafuente, Historia de Espana, XI, p. 277.
and maintenance'. O'Neill explains_ that the last time he made
this request he did not press his claims for he was staying
only a short time. But now with the King's permission he has
returned to attend to his affairs and has left his men in the
province of Navarre where they will not be so ill accommodated
as at the time of his last visit. 1 Three months later the King
tells his Council that it has abundant proof of the merits of
O'Neill and it must now be decided what favours are to be
granted. 2
In the following spring O'Neill was again busy with plans
for the invasion of Ireland. On the 24th of May 1639, in a
letter to the Conde Duque de Olivares, leader of the Government,
he writes:
In the thirty-two years since my father left Ireland
there has never been another occasion like the present for
the restoration of Ireland to the Catholics. • . . With
four or five thousand men, even with only the Irishmen
who are in His Majesty's service here and in Flanders,
and arms and munitions for twenty thousand, I shall go
in person::to
.... .
' ~
· acrom.plish it. . . . 3
.. ~

The matter was discussed at a meeting of the Council of

State on th~ 4th of June and the recommendation to the King was:
Althoµ.gh what the Count of Tyrone proposes might
be of benefit, the present state of affairs makes it impossible
to proyide the necessary means for the execution of such
plans, but the Count of Tyrone and his Irish followers
must be assured that the protection of Your Majesty will
not fail them when the occasion is more favourable. 4
The King agreed with the Council but added in his own
writing:
. . . the best of all would be not to answer for the present
and to continue delaying the matter. 4
Within a few months, however, John was appointed member

1
A.G.S., Estado, leg. 2521. See Documents 67 and 68.
2
A.G.S., Estado, leg. 2521. See Document 69.
3
A.G.S., Estado, leg. 2521. See Document 70.
4
A.G.S., Estado, leg. 2521. See Document 71.
20
of the Supreme Council of War1 and on the 27th of April 1640
he was at the Royal Palace of the Retiro in Madrid at a banquet
given to Spanish military chiefs by the Conde Duque de
Olivares, head of the Government. 2 Present also on this occasion
was the Marques de los Balbases whom John had probably
known in Flanders for he was the son of General Ambrosio
Spinola, 3 who for many years was John's Commander-in-Chief
and welcomed the Earls of the Flight on their way through
Belgium. .
A few months later, on the 18th of August, we come across
John's signature, as member of the Council of War, on the
memorial of an Irish woman, Doiia Sicilia O'Quilli, who asks
for financial help, claiming that her father, Bernardo, and
two uncles had died in the service of the King. 4 Whether or
not it was through O'Neill's influence or the merits of her
case she was granted her request.
At that time war had broken out in Cataluiia and John,
despite his recent appointment, had little hope now of obtaining
the help he had so often sought for an invasion of Ireland.
He was ordered to join the army under the command of the
Marques de los Velez and by December 1640 he had left
Madrid. In January the Spanish army arrived within reach of
Barcelona and, on the morning of the twenty-ninth, attacked
the fortress on the hill of Montjuich overlooking the town.
The regiment of Tyrone was appointed to lead the assault,
and its colonel, John O'Neill, the last surviving son of Great
Hugh, was among the first to be killed. 5
Thus abruptly ended the plans in Ireland of Rory O'Moore
and his friends that a son of Hugh O'Neill's should lead the
Irish Rising of I 641.

1 A.G.S., Guerra Antigua, leg. 1428.

2 Almirante, Bosquejo de la Historia Militar, III, p. 163.
3 Ambrosio Spinola had been created first Marques de los Balbases by
Philip IV on the 17th of December 1621. His son Felipe succeeded to
the title when his father died on the 25th of September 1630. The d&te
given by Fr. Paul Walsh in Archivium Hibernicum, II, Flight of the Earls,
p. 42, is incorrect.
4 A.G.S., Guerra Antigua, leg. 1428.
5 A. G.S., Secretaria de Guerra, leg. 1726. See also Lafuente, Historia de
Espana, XI, p. 329 and Almirante, Bosquejo de la Historia Militar, III,
p. 170. The date of John O'Neill's death as given by Fr. Paul Walsh,
The Will and Family of Hugh O'Neill,. p. 31, is incorrect.
21
 HUGO SON OF JOHN SON OF HUGH

After John's death, his son, Hugo Eugenio, or Hugh Eugene,

who was then but seven years old, succeeded to the colonelcy
of the regiment of Tyrone. 1
Up to now all that was known of this son was that he was
illegitimate 2 and that he died shortly before the end of October
1660. 3 Of the circumstances and date of his birth, or the
name, nationality and noble lineage of his mother, or indeed
anything of his life, friends and associates, nothing had come
to light.
Recently, however, I had the good fortun:e to come across
the date of Hugo Eugenio's birth, his baptismal certificate
and many other official and legally certified documents, an
autograph letter and many written statements of his friends
and contemporaries, which raise this grandson of Great Hugh
from his obscurity.
Hugo Eugenio was born in Madrid on the 15th of November
1633. 4 He was made Knight of Calatrava in 1644, three years
after his fat her' s death. 5 Among the depositions of Hugo
Eugenio's twenty-five sponsors6 for admission to the Order is
the following statement of Gaspar Bernaben, his godfather:
... Hugo Eugenio O'Neill, Prince of Ulster and Count
of Tyrone, was born on the feast of St. Eugene, and a
few days before, John O'Neill, Prince of Ulster and Count
1 A.G.S., Papeles de Guerra, leg. 1434.
2 John O'Neill left 'onely one boy, by name Huigh Oneyll, fruit of his loynes,
behinde him, thin of the age of 9 yeares', Gilbert, History of Affairs in Ireland,
I, p. 6. He left 'a natural son named Hugh, to whom Philip IV of Spain
gave his father's regiment and granted him letters of legitimation',· Carte,
Life of Ormonde, I, p. 348.
3 In a letter of October 1660 Hugh Bennet, the English Ambassador in
Madrid, mentions 'the late Earl of Tyrone, John O'Neill, father of the
younger man that is lately dead here', see Hill, The Macdonnells of Antrim,
p. 233.
' A.H.N., Madrid, Calatrava, exp. 1833. See Document 53.
5 A.H.N., Madrid, Calatrava, exp. 1833. See Documents 76, 77, 78 and 79.

' A.H.N., Madrid, Calatrava, exp. 1833. Hugo Eugenio's sponsors were:
Dermicio O'Sullevan Bear, Ricardo Goldeo, Dermicio O'Driscoll, Juan
Combeo, Gaspar Bemaben, Daniel de Guia, Dermicio O'Brien, Fernando
O'Conrri, Gregorio Falon, Mauricio O'Brien, Arnoldo de Goa, Diego
Flangolio, Juan Dearceo, Carlos O'Quely, Thadeo O'Sullevan, Diego
Flemin, Patricio Qeraldino, Eduardo Butler, David Geraldino, MaurQ
Suyni, Diego Macgrah, Mathias O'Kenedy, Patricio Geraldino, Fray
Thomas de Santa Maria, Guillermo O'Mostey.
22
of Tyrone, who reared this witness1 from the time he was
nine years old, ordered him to remain in this city . . . and
after the child's birth, to place it, should it be a girl,
with a reliable person in this city and rejoin his regiment
in Flanders; and, should it be a boy he was to look after
and rear him with great care and, at the baptism, name
him Hugh, after the father of the said John O'Neill, who
ordered this witness to keep him informed of everything,
and, not under any circumstances, mention whose son he
was . . . without having express order to do so . . . and
so the child was called Hugh in baptism and the witness
added the name Eugene as he was born on the feast of
St. Eugene and also to conceal the Irish name; and this
witness reared him and has charge of him. . . . And when
the said John O'Neill came to tp.is city after the relief of
Fuenterrabia, he ordered the witness to bring Hugh
Eugene to him . . . and then he acknowledged him as his
natural son and told many Irish gentlemen who were there
and kept the child with him for more than fifteen days.
Then he ordered the witness to take the child back and
continue his upbringing. At the beginning of the year
1640, when the said John O'Neill was in this city, he
ordered the witness to do what was necessary for him to
make a will . . . and the above mentioned drew up his
testament in his own hand and in it declared Hugh Eugene
to be his natural son and his heir and successor to his
estates, and it was legally sealed. . . . And the said John
O'Neill, when he went to Flanders, left orders with the
witness that, after the child was born, its mother should be
taken to a convent in accordance with the royal permission
granted to her, and shortly afterwards the witness brought
her to the Convent of La Concepcion Real de Calatrava
as a choir nun. . . . And she was a nun in the said convent,
and through ill health, and because the life did not suit
her she came out, and the said Count and herself were
both unmarried and free to marry and could have done
so because she was as noble as he, being cousin of the
Count of Tyrconnell. · This witness knew the paternal
grandparents [of Hugo Eugenio] who were Don Hugo
Gaspar Bemaben who is making this statement in the third person as is
usual in such declarations.
23
 O'Neill . . . and Dona Catalina Magenis . . . they died,
he in Rome and she in Naples . . . . 1
Another sponsor who gives similar information and who
also acted as sponsor for Hugo Eugenio's father in 1632, is
the chaplain of the convent mentioned, La Concepcion Real
de Calatrava. He was Don Juan Combeo, or Conway, and,
as he himself says, a 'native of the town of Ross in the province
of Leinster'. He states that:
He knows Hugh Eugenio O'Neill, Prince of Ulster and
Count of Tyrone, who was born in this city on the feast
of St. Eugene in the year 1633 and he was present at the
baptism. 2
Captain Diego Fleming, also a sponsor, states that, in his
presence and that of many other Irish gentlemen, John O'Neill
declared Hugh Eugene to be his natural son. Fleming was
a native of Waterford and had been admitted to the Order
of Santiago in 1640 when John O'Neill was one of his sponsors. 3
Some other witnesses for Hugh Eugene were the Count of
Biraven, Dermicio O'Sullevan Beare, 4 and Ricardo Goldeo,'
or Gould, a Trinitarian, professor of Theology in the College
of la Santisima Trinidad of the University of Alcala de Henares,
who states that he had been John O'Neill's confessor for
sixteen years. Both of these had also been witnesses for John.
u·nfortunately I have been unsuccessful in my search · for
the original will of John O'Neill, but I have a copy of a clause
concerning his son. This copy is certified correct by the King's
notary, signed by him and dated the 12th of March 1641;
it reads:
The remainder of all my property, real and personal,
and credits and whatever else may appertain to me in
any other way, I leave to, as my heir, Hugh Eugene O'Neill,
1A.H.N., Madrid, Calatrava, exp. 1833. See Document 77. The place
and time of Catherine Magenis' death are given in Trinity College MS.
H.4, 31, p. 106, as Rome, the 15th of March 1618j this is incorrect as shown
by a letter bearing her autograph signature and written to the King of
Spain from Naples, the 22nd of June 1618, A.G.S., Estado, Roma, leg.
1881. See Document 48. She died in Naples shortly before the 21st of
April 1619, A.G.S., Estado, Rom.a, leg. 1867.
2 A.H.N., Madrid, Calatrava, exp. 1833. See Document 78.
3
A.H.N., Madrid, Santiago, exp. 3~89.
' A.H.N., Madrid, Calatrava, exp. 1833.
24
 my natural son, whqse mother, being of princely birth,.
I do not name. He is in the charge of ensign Don Gaspar·
Bernaben, administrator of my commandery, as his son.
I beseech His Holiness to legitimize him, and I beseech the::
King our lord to give his protection in this matter and:
to grant him this fa:vour for which I hope from His Majesty-
by allowing him to take possession of my commandery-
and my rents so that he may live as befits him and in
the service of His Majesty while he lives as I have done
and would do all my life. 1
The Council of Knights submitted their recommendatiolti
for the admission of Hugh Eugene to the Order of Calatrava"'
as appears from the following minute of the Assembly:
At the council meeting on the ninth day of the month
of May of the year. I 644, having seen· the reports of the
enquiries on the religion and nobility and other qualities.
of Hugh Eugene O'Neill, Prince of Ulster and Count of-
Tyrone, the Sen.ores_ Don Antonio de Luna~ Don Juan._
Ponce de Leon, Don Geronimo Mascarenas, Don:_
Francisco de Borja, Don P~dro Ordona, declared that
they gave their approval as regards the religion and~.
nobility of the said candidate pending the dispensation
of His Holiness for being the natural son of the Count of
Tyrone, his father, and of Dofia Ysabel O'Donnell, native.
of Donegal in the Kingdom of Ireland, and ordered that·
the letter and report for His Majesty should be writteni
according to the rule. 2
Hugh Eugene was legitimized, became Knight of Calatrav31J.
and, as his father had requested, was granted his Coromandery·
of Carrion with its large income.
Dated the 5th of July r 649, is the following declaration of
the young Count of Tyrone who says that, despite-. his young:
age: 3
. . . he is going iri person to serve with his Irish. regiment
of infantry at present serving in the campaig~l: of Cataluiia,
and with the strong desire to continue th~ lpng, and
1A.H.N., Madrid, Calatrava, exp. 1833. See Document. 72 ..
2
A.H.N., Madrid, Calatrava, exp. 1833. See Docum~nt.·. 7,9,~.
• He was then not quite sixteen.
 distinguished services of the Princes O'Neill, Counts of
Tyrone, his grandfather, uncle, and of his father who fell
gloriously, as is well known, in the royal service and in
the defence of His Majesty's Catholic kingdom of Spain.
Many soldiers and officers of the companies of his regiment,
having been put on half pay, passed to other regiments
of the armies of Catalufia and Portugal, causing great dis-
advantage to the Royal service, and great weakness and.
lack of men in the said regiment, which is amongst the
oldest, most valiant and renowned of the whole Royal
Catholic Army of His Majesty, and for the last sixty
years has been serving continuously in the wars of Flanders,
the Palatinate and France, and lately in Spain, taking
part in all the battles in which his regiment was engaged,
both on land and sea, without ever failing in their duty
to the Royal Service, until more than twelve thousand
Irishmen of this regiment have died, most of them at the
point of the sword, and among them some fifty noblemen,
almost all of them captains, of the same flesh and blood
as the Count of Tyrone, father of the petitioner, who
was killed fighting valiantly on the day of Montjuich near
Barcelona in the year 1641. And the said regiment was
never disbanded and is the mother and founder of five
other regiments of the same nation who have served this
Catholic Crown of Spain in various parts with the courage,
love ~nd loyalty so well known to all. 1
Hugo Eugenio was in Madrid once more during the following
year. On the 2nd of February, he acted as sponsor for his
father's godson, Don· Fadrique Plunketo, a candidate for the
Military Order of Santiago. 2 It is interesting to see the
signature to his deposition, which reads, contrary to the
Spanish custom of titled people: O'Neill, Conde de Tyron,
and we remember how proud his grand£ather was of the name
O'Neill and considered it higher than any title of nobility. 3
It must be supposed that John had not left the boy's
upbringing completely in the hands of the Spanish ensign
1 A.G.S., Secretaria de Guerra, leg. 1726.
2
A.H.N., Madrid, Santiago, exp. 6537. Fadrique Juan Plunketo was
baptised in the church of San Martin in Madrid on the 25th of August
1633 when John O'Neill was present as godfather.
3 A.H.N., Madrid, Calatrava, exp. 1832.
26
Bernaben, and though we have yet no information as to where
he was educated and by whom, we do know that, during the year
1645, Fr. Terence O'Neill was living in his house in Madrid. 1
Residing with him in the same house in 1650 were the Franciscan
Fray Francisco l\1agnesio, 2 or Magennis, and Dr. Don Guillermo
O'Mostey 2 who had been rector of the Irish College of St.
Patrick of the University of Alcala de Henares. Like his ill-
fated uncles and father, Hugh Eugene was not destined to live
long; he died shortly before the end of October 1660.
After the death of this · last male representative of Great
Hugh's family there is some confusion as regards the succession
to the title of Conde de Tyron. Though Matthews states
that Black Hugh O'Neill, the hero of Clonmel and Limerick,
assumed the title in 1660, 3 I can find no Spanish documentation
stating who was the Conde between that year and 1666. It
is clear, however, that in I 666 the title was held by another
Hugo O'Neill, grandson of Eoghan Roe and son of the Henry
who was beheaded in Derry in 1650. 4

HUGO SON OF HENRY SON OF EOGHAN ROE

Hugo was born about 1647 in Ticroghan, Co. Meath, the

home of his mother, Eleanor, daughter of Sir Luke Fitzgerald. 5
He himself states that:
. . . he left Ireland as a child and was taken to Brussels;
from there he went to Rome and later served in war as
cavalry captain and colonel. 6
In a memorial submitted to the Spanish Council of State
on the 13th of March 1666 Hugo asks that, in consideration
of the many services rendered to Spain by his family, he be
granted an allowance not only suitable to his rank but also
large enough to enable him to marry as:
1 See letter of Rinuccini quoted by Brady, Episcopal Succession, II. p. 345.
i A.H.N., Madrid, Santiago, exp. 6537.
3
Matthews, The O'Neills of Ulster, III, pp. 314-315. Unfortunately
Matthews does not give his authority.
4 A.G.S., Estado, leg. 2829. Some references to Eoghan and his son, Henry,

are contained in A.G.S., Estado, Flandes y Holanda, leg. 2057. See

Documents 73, 74, and 75,
6
A.H.N., Madrid, Calatrava, exp. 1831.
• A.H.N., Madrid, Calatrava, exp. 1831. See Document 96.
 he wishes to marry to ensure the succession of his family
of which, since his brothers have died, he is the only one
left and because the KiRgs Philip II, III and IV wished
that his family be united by marriage with subjects of this
monarchy, they wrote to the Archdukes and Infantes,
Governors of Flanders, asking them if they knew of any
wealthy lady of suitable rank to give in marriage to Don
Juan O'Neill, Count of Tyrone, who died fighting the
enemy at Montjuich near Barcelona. Because he himself
wishes the same he begs Your Majesty to order that this
be done also in his case, either in Spain, Flanders or Italy.
Should the King not be pleased to do so Hugo asks him
to intercede with the King of England to grant him, without
obligation to leave the service of Spain, some estates in
compensation for those lost by his family. Finally he asks
for a special allowance for he is greatly in debt having been
paid only twice during the time that he has served as colonel
in Barcelona. 1 The Council recommended that he be paid
punctually and given immediately a grant of forty crowns but
did not think it advisable for the King to take any steps as
regards the restitution of O'Neill's estates. 2 The following
year Hugo was made Knight of Calatrava. 3 The exact date of
his death is not clear but we know that he was dead by 1673. 4
1 A.G.S., Estado, leg. 2829. See Document 91.
2
A.G.S., Estado, leg. 2829. See Document 92.
3
A.H.N., Madrid, Calatrava, exp. 1831. See Document 95. Hugo's
sponsors were: Pedro Francisco Puber, Cristobal Nugencio, Alberto Farail,
Arturo Magcoia, Juan Quirquino, Daniel Quade, Juan Berni, Patricio
Muledi, Roberto Puero, Tulio O'Conreo, Daniel Queogy, Guillenno
Nugencio, Thomas Beary, Andres Porte, Matheo Flanura, Juan Gargan,
Juan Henriquez, David Pendergats, Luis Higgins, Pedro Levett.
' A.G.S., Libros Encuademados de Guerra, no. 322. In 1673 the Conde
de Tyron was Hugo's cousin, Bernardo O'Neill, who was born in Annagh,
c. 1619, A.H.N., Madrid, Calatrava, exp. 337. He had served in Flanders,
Galicia, Extremadura and Catalufia for over thirty-seven years, .A.G.S.,
Secretaria de Guerra, leg. 2317. In 1663 he was given permission to raise a
regiment of which he was made colonel, A.G.S., Estado, Flandes y Holanda,
leg. 2102. On the 14th of January 1673 he was colonel of both his own
regiment and the Regiment of Tyrone, A.G.S., Libros Encuademados de
Guerra, no. 322. He died before the 5th of December 1681, A.G.S.,
Estado, leg. 4131. In his will made in Barcelona on the 8th of January 1681
he asks to be buried in the church of Sta. Catalina in Barcelona where his
son, Juan Bernardo, was buried. He also asks that, as soon after as possible,
both his remains, and those of his son be transferred to the Franciscan
Convent of Madrid, burial place of his ancestors, the Counts of Tyrone.
After the death of Bernardo there were two claimants to the countship of
Tyrone, Constantino and Eugenio O'Neill, A.G.S., Secretaria de Guerra,

28
During this period the colonelcy of the Regiment was held
until 1663 by Arturo O'Neill1 on whose death that year it
passed for a very brief period to his son Daniel and then to
the Conde de Tyron. 2

ARTURO SON OF HUGH SON OF

TURLOUGH MAC HENRY OF THE FEWS

Arturo was a grandson. of Turlough mac Henry O'Neill

of the Fews, half-brother of Great Hugh; his mother was
also an O'Neill and daughter of Brian who was brother of
Eoghan Roe and nephew of Great Hugh. 3 Born in Glas-
drummond, Co. Armagh, 3 he left Ireland in 1652 with Colonel
Mayo who had been recruiting for the Spanish service.' He
did not remain long as colonel of the regiment of Tyrone for
he died in Barcelona in 1663, 5 three years after his predecessor
Hugh Eugene. In Spain Arturo had married Leonor O'Moore,
daughter of Rory O'Moore, famous in the Irish Rising of 1641.~
In 1662, the year before his death, Arturo was made Knight
of Calatrava. 7 On this occasion he was asked to produce family
papers and certificates; his answer, suggesting indignation
that an O'Neill should be asked for such things, is recorded
in the following terms by the two officials who questioned him:
The said day month and year [ 15 July 1662] we, the
above mentioned knight and religious, made known the
contents of the above decree to the said Colonel Don

leg. 2598. Eugenio, then a minor, won his claim and was in 1689 Count
of Tyrone and colonel of the Regiment, A.G.S., Estado, leg. 4131 and
A.G.S., Libros Encuademados de Guerra, no. 410. See Document 98.
After 1689 I have found no further reference to a Conde de Tyrone in
Spain; in 1721 there was, however, in the Dragoon Regiment of Dublin
in Spain, a captain who called himself Conde O'Neill, A.G.S., Secretaria
de Guerra, leg. 2476. See Document 99. This Captain was probably
Carlos O'Neill, son of Gordon, son of Sir Felim, a leader in the Irish
Rising of 1641.
1 A.H.N~,Madrid, Calatrava, exp. 1834, and A.G.S., Estado, leg. 2826.
2
A. G.S.,
Estado, leg. 2827.
~ A.H.N.,Madrid, Calatrava, exp. 1834. See Documents 81 and 84.
4
A.H.N.,Madrid, Calatrava, exp. 1834.
s The 3rd of September 1663, A.H.N., Madrid, Calatrava, exp. 1835. See
Document 93.
6
A.H.N., Madrid, Calatrava, expedientes 1834 and 1835.
1 A.H.N., Madrid, Calatrava, exp. 1834.
 Arturo O'Neill who said that because his own nobility
and that of his lineage are so well known in the Kingdom
of Ireland it has not been necessary for him to keep any
papers and even less to bring them to Spain ... and in
the said Kingdom of Ireland it has always been the custom
to have chroniclers who have the charge and obligation
of keeping records of the noble families there and of all
the names of their successors, and that one of them resides
in this city and he is the chronicler Dr. Don Tulio Conrreo 1
and he can answer anything that is asked and I sign.
Arturo Oneill. 2
The officials who interviewed Tulio Conrreo on the same
day report that:
. . . he is ready to give us the genealogy both paternal
and maternal of the said Don Arturo Oneill exactly as
it is written in the chronicles of that Kingdom and for
better understanding as it is written in the Irish language,
he will translate it into our ·castilian and will authenticate
it with his signature. 3
The following day Conrreo submitted O'Neill's genealogy
both in Irish and Spanish, traced back to the year 978. These
documents are accompanied by a statement signed by him and
declaring, among other things, that:
I copied it from the originals which remain in my
possession and should it be · necessary I shall submit
these originals to the lords of the Royal Council of the
Orders, everything above mentioned being correct and
true. 4

1 Toileagna O Maolconaire.
2
A.H.N., Madrid, Calatrava, exp. 1834. See Document 82.
3
A.H.N., Madrid, Calatrava, exp. 1834. See Document 83.
' A.H.N., Madrid, Calatrava, exp. 1834. For Spanish translation of the
genealogy, see Document 84. See also frontispiece for reproduction of
the Irish original. All authorities, excepting the Trinity College manuscript,
H.4. :25, give the genealogy of Toirrdhealbhach Luineach (Therencio),
father of Sorcha (Sara), as follows: Toirrdhealbhach Luineach, m Neill
Chonallaigh, m Airt Oicc, m Cuinn, m Enri, m Eoghain. It is interesting
to find here the same form as in the Trinity College manuscript. It will
be noticed also that the name of Constantino, or Conn Mor, father of
Constantino, or Conn Baccach, is given in the Spanish translation and
omitted in the Irish original.
30
 There are thirty sponsors for Arturo, all of them Irish. 1
One of these is Patricio Moledy who was Counsellor and
Secretary of the Supreme Council of Flanders and soon to
become Ambassador ·of Spain in London. He states that:

. . . he knows the genealogy of Arturo to be correct

because he has seen in the convent of Louvain the genealogy
which was drawn up at the request of Fray Patricio
O'Neill, 2 the son of a brother of the said Don Arturo,
and which was signed by the Count of Tyrone, chief of
his family, and by three others, bishops.

Another sponsor is Colonel Christoval Mayo who states

that he is a native of Dublin and says he knows Arturo since
1652 when he was in Ireland recruiting for the service of the
King of Spain. Mayo tells us that Arturo came with him from
Ireland with the rank of major.
In February 1663 Arturo sent a petition to the king. He
wished to send his wife _and family to Ireland so that without
encumbrance he could continue his services as colonel of the
regiment of Tyrone, and he asked for financial aid for this
purpose.. The Council of State recommended that he should be
given one thousand ducats, and the King agreed. 3 But the
usual delay occurred and the following month Arturo sends
another petition asking for prompt payment of the thousand
ducats, otherwise, he states, his family will lose the opportunity
of taking passage on a boat w:hich is now ready to leave. 3

DANIEL SON OF ARTURO SON OF HUGH

It does not seem likely that any of Arturo's family returned

to Ireland on this occasion. 1-Ie died at the end of the same
1 Arturo's sponsors were: Tulio O'Conrreo, Conrado Geoghegan, Christoval
Mayo, Remigio Quinio, Mauricio Donelan, Duarte de Soza, Juan Jordan,
Roberto Poero, Patricio Moledy, Arturo Cavanagh, Gelasio Egans, Bernardo
Reyli, Andres Ultano, Diego Geraldino, Juan Doran, Henrique Conforte,
Phelippe Brady, Carlos Gavran, Daniel Carol, Carolos Quigo, Ugo de
Leyer, Thadeo O'Daly, Dionisio O'Berne, Donaldo Keani, Daniel O'Fulena,
Guillermo Enegan, Constantino Conali, Terencio Morga, Andres Porthe,
Guillermo Nugencio.
2 This is the only mention that I can find anywhere of this Fray Patricio
O'Neill, nephew of Arturo.
3 A.G.S., Estrado, leg. 2826. See Documents 85 and 86.

31
:year1 and his eldest son Daniel, then only seven years old was
appointed to succeed him as colonel of the Regiment; however,
·as Daniel was a minor, it was later decided that the Regiment
~should be given to the Conde de Tyron. 2 In 1666 Daniel also
was made Knight of the Order of Calatrava3 and among the
~documents concerning his admi~ion there is one in particular
which is worthy of note. It is a statement by Daniel's mother,
the daughter of Rory O'Moore; which she made to the appointed
. officials of the Council of the Orders in answer to the usual
:request ·for family papers:
In the city of Madrid on the eighth day of the month of
October I 666, for greater certainty and confirmation of
.all that is mentioned in these reports we agreed to examine
:.and question Doiia Leonor .oMorra and ask her if she
-has any papers such as wills, baptismal certificates, reports
'Or memoranda, which might lead to greater information
·on the origin and persons of the candidate, his parents and
~paternal grandparents, and thus summoned, the said Dona
Leonor oMorra, under oath taken in due form said that:
The truth is this that at the time of leaving Ireland,
·fleeing from the tyranny of the heretics, this witness spent
-eight days hidden underground and both herself and
:her husband and others only thought of saving their lives
·without looking after their possessions or papers whatever
·nor could they have done so, and so she neither has them
·nor can say anything more than what she has said already,
which is true as she says and swears, and she signs this
said day month and year. 4
This document is signed by Leonor O'Moore and the two

:i A.H.N., Madrid, Calatrava, exp. 1835. See Document 93. Shortly before
his death Arturo O'Neill had obtained the King's promise that the regiment
of Tyrone would not be disbanded. A.G.S., Estado, leg. 2826. See
Document 87.
'-2
A.G.S., Estado, leg. 2827. See Document 88.
=a A.H.N., Madrid, Calatrava, exp. 1835. See Document 80. Daniel's
sponsors were: Roberto Puero, Matheo Flanura, Thadeo O'Chelli,
David Pendergasto, Eugenio Verni, Juan Gargan, Arturo Nogein, Carlos
Q'Mora, Andres de Burgo, Guillermo Nugencio, Antonio Fox, Thomas
~eari, Daniel Queogy, Juan Henriquez, Danell Macnare, Juan O'Farrel,
Pedro Hebeleo, Roque Farail, Lewis Higgin, Pedro Levett, Adam Anguedo,
Eugenio de Zuniga, Tulio O'Conreo, Patricio Muledi.
' A.H.N., Madrid, Calatrava, exp. 1835. See Document 94.
32
officials. So far nothing more is known of this daughter
of Rory. 1
Apart from Daniel, Arturo had five other children, as
mentioned in three memorials of Daniel's when he was appealing
to the King for financial aid to support his widowed mother
and orphaned brothers and sisters. 2

SARA DAUGHTER OF CONN SON OF TURLOUGH

A cousin of Daniel's who also made her name in Spain,

was Sara O'Neill. Sara's mother was a Macdonnell of Antrim
and a direct descendant also of the famous Sorley Boy. 3 Her
father had left Ireland for Spain after the transplantation
of his family to Mayo,' and before her arrival there Sara had
married Henry O'NeillJ> of ShaD:escastle,. a descendant of the
chieftain of Clannaboy, Brian mac Felim O'Neill. 6
In Spain Sara was left to look after five grandchildren by the
two marriages of her daughter Enriqueta who died in Madrid
in 1731. 7 Enriqueta had first married Enrique O'Beirne by
1
Even the latest writers on the Wars of the Confederation know nothing
of Rory after his escape to Tory Island in 1653. In view of this it is
interesting to note that on the 29th of September 1666 Roberto Puero,
Vicar General of Limerick and then residing in Madrid, writes that he
knows Rory O'Moore and that he was then living: 'Rodrigo O Morra que
oi vive', A.H.N., Madrid, Calatrava, exp. 1835. In the same Archives of
Madrid there is another statement of the 4th of October of the same year
signed by Daniel Macnare who informs us that 'he received letters
regularly from Rory O'Moore who is living in Ireland'.
2
A.G.S., Estado, legajos 2827 and 2828. See Documents 88, 89 and 90.
3
A.H.N., Madrid, Calatrava, exp. 614. For Sara's paternal genealogy see
Document 104.
4. Dr. Robert C. Simington Book of Survey and Distribution, County of
Mayo, p. xxxvii.
5
The only reference I have found to this Henry O'Neill in Spain is in a
statement by his grandson Jose Comerford. In Madrid on the 23rd of
March 17 5 r, Comerford states that his grandfather, Henry' O'Neill, came
to Spain with the Count of Tyrone and Arturo O'Brin; the latter died as
general of the Spanish navy in 1702. 'En compania del dicho Don Arturo
OBrin bino asimismo ONell abuelo del declarante y Milord Tironne,
cabezas de sus dos familias cuya memoria ha hallado el ano pasado que
estuvo en su comun patria muy reciente en el dolor de sus conpatricios'.
A.H.N., Madrid, Calatrava, exp. 1822.
6
Father of the first wife of Great Hugh O'Neill, and murdered by the Earl
of Essex in 1574.
7
A.H.N., Madrid, Calatrava, exp. 614. For Enriqueta's paternal genealogy
see Document 103.

33
whom she had one daughter, Teresa, who became maid of
honour to Isabel Farnese, Queen of Spain.1
In I 72 5 Teresa had the misfortune to marry the English
Duke of Wharton. 2 In an unpublished diary 2 which I have
examined, a contemporary of his, the Duke of Liria, son of
Honora Bourke of Galway, 3 gives his opinion of him in the
following terms:
He was the most unworthy man that I have ever known;
he had neither faith, principles, hon0ur nor religion.
He lied at every. word. He was cowardly, indiscreet and
a drunkard; in short he possessed all the vices and his
only good quality was that of being an admirable fawning
toady.
In the spring of 1725 Wharton, having left the court of
St. Germain, arrived in Madrid. There he forced himself as an
unpaying guest on Liria. During this time, again I quote Liria:
. . . he received the news of the death of his wife and
mourned for her; but the following day, having seen by
·chance one of the Queen's Maids of Honour called
O'Berne, 4 he fell madly in love with her and told me
the same day that he intended to marry her. . . . I did
what I could to dissuade him . . . but seeing that his
mind was made up I advised him to go to Rome to obtain
a dispensation. 5 • • • I had two reasons for giving this
advice: the first, to get rid of him, the second, the hope
that the distance and his natural fickleness would make
him forget his infatuation. He feigned approval of my
1 A.H.N., Madrid, Calatrava, exp. 614. O'Callaghan History of the Irish
Brigades, p. 243, mentions an Enrique O'Berne who was in Crofton's
Regiment of Dragoons at the attack of Daroca in Aragon early in November
1706. Following on the successful attack Captain Daniel O'Carol, also of
Crofton's, was sent to Madrid with colours captured from the enemy.
Some days later O'Berne was appointed to take to Madrid four more
colours captured during the retreat from Daroca. The records of the
order of Santiago show that O'Carol was admitted to the order in November
1706 in reward for his services. Enrique O'Berne's signature appears on
the list of his sponsors. In his deposition dated the 27th of November 1706
Enrique states that he was major of Crofton's Regiment, aged thirty-one
and a native of Leinster, A.H.N., Madrid, Santiago, exp. 1577.
2
Memoires de James Fitz-James, second Duke of Liria, Palacio de Liria,
Madrid.
3
Honora Bourke was daughter of the Earl of Clanricard and widow of
Patrick Sarsfield.. She married the first Duke of Berwick in 1695.
4
Teresa O'Beme, grand-daughter of Sara O'Neill.
~ Wharton was a protestant.
34
 advice and told me that he was preparing for his departure.
Indeed he spoke of it everyday and said no more of his
love. However he did not leave but went out a great
deal without telling either myself or the Duke of Ormond 1
anything of his business. This obliged me to have him
followed by spies through whom I soon found out that
he was going. everyday to the house of a priest of the
Inquisition called Don Jacinto de Arana who was an
intimate friend of mine. I was convinced that his ,vild
passion would lead him· to become a catholic in order
to marry his lady all the sooner. I was in despair, knowing
that he was certainly not talcing this step through
conviction. I showed him nothing of my suspicions
but spoke of them to the Duke of Ormond who was greatly
upset. At last one fine day he told me that he was a
catholic, that he had abjured and that he had even
received communion. I answered to this all that the
feelings of an honest man could prompt me; but he
adopted the tone of a zealous and devout catholic. He
told me that having taken this step, he would marry Teresa
O'Berne in a few days and invited me to the wedding.
I answered drily that I would do nothing of the sort,
and that not only did I wish to have nothing more to
do with him, but that also I requested him to leave my
house and take up lodgings elsewhere. He did this and
was married a few days later. He ,vent to live in Valencia,
and from there went with his wife to the siege of Gibraltar,
where, although he was wounded, he showed his cowardice
to the eyes of the world. After the siege the King gave
him the commission of a brevet colonel. A short time
later he went to France on business, and at the time of
writing these memoirs I have lost sight of this evil character.
This 'evil character's' conversion and second marriage did
nothing to improve his dissolute habits; his way of living
and the fact that an embargo was put on his English assets,
reduced him to poverty and he died young.
After his death Teresa's grandmother, Sara O'Neill,
accompanied her to London2 in an effort, as Spanish subjects,
1 James Butler, second Duke of Ormond, bom in Dublin 1665 and died
in France 1745.
2
A.H.N., 1.Wadrid, Calatrava, exp. 614.
35
to regain some of Wharton's estates which had been confiscated
as a result of his disloyalty to his King.
Tomas Geraldino 1 an Irishman who was Spanish ambassador
in London at that time says of them in 1747:
I witnessed the veneration and distinction with which
all the nobles of London treated Dona Sara O'Neill. . . .
She is now in that city accompanying her granddaughter
Doiia Teresa who went there on important business
concerning the estates of her deceased husband, the
Duke of Wharton. . . . When these two ladies went to
England they were particularly recommended by His
Majesty Philip V to his ambassador, the Conde de Montijo,
and when I succeeded to him as ambassador in that city,
I also received orders from the court to give assistance
and protection to these ladies and· their law suit; and
thus I had occasion to observe, for my own edification,
the prudence, wisdom and exemplary virtue of these
ladies. 2
The other three grand-daughters of Sara O'Neill, and half
sisters of Teresa O'Berne, were the daughters of Enriqueta
O'Neill and Juan Comerford, first colonel of the regiment of
Waterford. 3 They also became Maids of Honour to the Queen,
but, unlike that of their half sister, Teresa, Duchess of Wharton,
their lives were not of the type that finds mention in the
memoirs and diaries of contemporaries and so I have found
very little material concerning them: Doiia Dorotea became
a nun in the Carmelite convent of Santa Ana in Madrid,
Dona lsabela died before 1747, and Dona Francisca was still
Maid of Honour in .that year. 4 They had one brother, Jose
Comerford, born in Barcelona in r 719, who became Knight of
the Military Order of Calatrava 4 and later colonel of the regiment
of Irlanda and brigadier in the Spanish Armies. 5
Sara O'Neill does not seem to have had any sons so her
descendants have now lost the name of O'Neill, but her brother

1 The hispanicised form of Fitzgerald.

2 A.H.N., Madrid, Calatrava, exp. 614.
3 An Irish regiment in the Spanish service, the regiment of Comerford or

Waterford as it was called later, was formed in 1709.

' A.H.N., Madrid; Calatrava, exp. 6.14.
6 A.G.S., Guerra Modema, leg. 259,.

36
Henry is the direct ancestor of the present Marques de la
Granja of Seville. 1
Henry was the grandson of Colonel Turlough mac Henry
O'Neill of the Fews1 who, under Cromwell~ was transplanted
to Mayo. The family remained in the west for two more
generations and Henry's great-grandchildren settled in Spain.
The eldest of these was Neil, known as Nicolas O'Neil], born
in 1734.2

NICOLAS SON OF RED HENRY SON OF NEILL

In Spain Nicolas joined the regiment of lrlanda as a cadet

in 1752, 3 when the lieutenant colonel was his cousin Jose
Comerford, the grandson of Sara O'Neill. Nicolas studied at
the Military Academy of Barcelona, returned to his regiment
and in 1754 was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant. 3 In
1759 he became lieutenant in the company of Captain Joseph
O'Donnell 3 who, incidentally, is the ancestor of the present
Duke of Tetuan. This particular lieutenancy under Captain
O'Donnell was reserved as a prize for second lieutenants who
had distinguished themselves in the study of Mathematics. 4
Nicolas was appointed adjutant major in 1763, by which time
Comerford was colonel of the regiment. 5 He distinguished
himself in the campaign of Portugal 6 and died as lieutenant-
colonel being survived by an only daughter. 7

ISABEL DAUGHTER OF RED HENRY SON OF NEILL

A sister of Nicolas, Isabel O'Neill, was married in 1778

to Tadeo O'Sullivan, Count of Biraven, 8 who was then lieutenant
1 Archives of the Marqueses de la Granja, Seville.
a Archives of the M arqueses de la Granja, Seville.
3
A.G.S., Guerra Moderna, leg. 2599.
4
'La thenencia de la Compania de Don Joseph O'Donnell que actualmente
sirve D. Nicolas O'Neill es la que se destine para premio de los subtenientes
que se esmeran en el estudio de Mathematicas'. Report of 1761 on the
second battalion of the regiment of Irlanda, A.G.S., Guerra Moderna,
leg. 2599.
5
A.G.S., Guerra Modema, leg. 2599.
6
A.G.S., Guerra Modema, leg. 2600. See Document 107.
· 7 Archives of the Marqueses de la Granja, Seville.
8 A.H.N., Madrid, Titulos y Grandezas, leg. 10,063, num. 3.

37
~n the same regiment as her brother, 1 and who was later to
become Knight of Santiago. 2

ARTURO SON OF RED HENRY SON OF NEILL

Nicolas' younger brother, Arturo, born in 1736, 3 also joined

the regiment of Irlanda at the same time as Nicolas, 4 but .left
it after one year for the regiment of Hibernia4 and the company
of another kinsman, Captain Felix O'Neill. Arturo was appointed
adjutant major of this regiment in 1764, 5 and it is interesting
to note that, during 1764 and the four years following, both
regiments of Irlanda and Hibernia had O'Neills as colonels
and as adjutants. 6 Arturo served with great distinction in
several expeditions to South America and the West Indies7
and when his regiment returned to Spain in 178 I he remained
as Governor of Pensacola. 7 In 1792 he was appointed Captain
General of the province of Yucatan and Governor of Merida. 7
Arturo returned to Spain in 1802 and, in the following year,
became member of the Supreme Council of War. 7 He received
the title of Marques del Norte in 1805 and, despite his advanced
age, took a prominent part in the Peninsular War. 7 He died
on the 9th of December, 1814. 7 The title of Marques del
Norte is now borne by the descendants of Arturo's younger
brother, Tully.

TULIO SON OF TULLY SON OF RED HENRY

Tully, or Tulio as he was known in Spain, married Catherine

O'Keef, 8 and their son, another Tulio, following the great
military tradition of his family became colonel of the regiment
of La Princesa and lieutenant-general. He fought in the
1 A. G.S., Guerra Moderna, leg. i6oo.
2
A.H.N., Madrid, Santiago, exp. 5802.
3
Archives of the Marqueses de la Granja, Seville.
4
A.G.S., Guerra Moderna, leg. 2592.
11
The 7th of October 1764, A.G.S., Guerra Moderna, leg. 2592.
• Regiment of Hibernia: Colonel Felix O'Neill, Adjutant Major Arturo
O'Neill. Regiment of Irlanda: Colonel Jose Comerford O'Neill, Adjutant
Major Nicolas O'Neill. Arturo was promoted brevet captain on the 15th
of October 1771, A.G.S., Guerra Moderna, leg. 2593. For his service
report of the fpllowing year see Document 106.
7
La Gaceta de Madrid, the 10th of January 1815. See Document 109.
a Archives of the Marqueses de la Granja, Seville.
Peninsular War, and, for his services at the sieges of Salamanca,
Pamplona, and Bayona, was awarded many decorations. For
his services at the battle of Albuera1 he was presented with an
inscribed sword of great value in recognition of his .merit.
Tulio O'Neill, second Marques del Norte, married Manuela
de Castilla, of one of the noblest families in Spain and a
descendant of the King Don Pedro de Castilla. Their son, Juan
Antonio Luis O'Neill, inherited from his mother's family in
1847 the titles of Marques .de la Granja, Marques de Caltojar,
Conde de Benajiar and Marques de Valdeosera. 2 He is the great-
grandfather of the present Marques de la Granja. 3
It is remarkable that for almost a century the Irish regiment
of Hibernia in Spain was never without at least one O'Neill
among its senior officers. At· the formation of the regiment
in 1709 the senior captain was A.rturo O'Neill. 4 Arturo had
already served for eleven years in France in the Regiment of
Bourke and in the Regiment des Vaisseaux. 4 In 1737 the
long list of battles to his credit include Cremona, Luzzara
where it is stated that his arm was broken and he was wounded
six times, Turin, Zaragoza, Villaviciosa, Brihuega, Messina,
Melazzo, Francavilla, and the sieges of Barcelona and Gibraltar. 5
On his service report of 173 7, when he himself gives his age
as fifty-two, the inspector general says of him:
This officer has served for forty years, three months
and fourteen days as he claims, but he is over sixty years
of age and is incapable of continuing in active service
because of his damaged arm and because he is worn out
by long years of service; because he is the senior captain
of the regiment it happens that at times its command
falls to him, for which he is not suited because he does
not understand the language, but he merits that His
Majesty should grant him an appointment to a city garrison
with the rank of lieutenant colonel. 6
1 Another Irishman who was commander-in-chief at the same battle was
General Joaquin Blake, who was later to become President of the Regency
Council. .
2 A.H.N., Madrid, Titulos y Grandezas, leg. 8982, num. 114.
3 I take this opportunity of expressing my appreciation of the kindness of

this family in putting tkeir records so unreservedly at my disposal.

' A.G.S., Guerra Modema, leg. 2590.
6 A.G.S., Guerra Modema, leg. 2591.

• A.G.S., Guerra Modema, leg. 2591. See Document 101.

39
 r r
TERENCIO SON OF AODH BUI SON OF ART OG

At the same time as Arturo, Terencio O'Neill was senior

captain of the second battalion of the regiment. 1 Terencio had
also served in France, but in the regiment of Berwick, and in
Spain he had first joined the regiment of Waterford; 1 its
colonel, Juan Comer£ord, was married to the daughter of Sara
O'Neill, a fourth cousin of Terencio's. In 1721, when he had
~een with the regiment of Hibernia for two years, his service
report tells us that his conduct was 'good; his application,
good; his courage, good; his talent, sufficient; his age, thirty-
one; his health, good; his defects, not known; his morals,
good; his nationality, Irish; his family rank, well known;' the
inspector general says he is a young officer of good appearance
whom he considers suitable for promotion with time. 1 In
1722, the report of the inspector mentions that:

This officer serves with intelligence, is equable in

command, good for the operations of war, and is just in
his dealing with his company. He is not known to have
any defects, but on the contrary, his morals are in keeping
with his noble birth, and his devotion to duty and
intelligence make him suitable for the command of a
battalion. 2
Terencio O'Neill last saw active service with his regiment
throughout the whole Italian campaign of the War of the
Austrian Succession.
In I 74 3 the Spanish General, Juan de Gages, knew the
relative weakness of his forces and was employing f abian tactics.
Impatient orders from home, however, bade him peremptorily
to advance and attack. So he crossed the river Panaro, and, on
the 2nd of February, met the enemy at Camposanto. The
battle was one of the fiercest and, though at nightfall the
Spanish army remained on the field, the victory was Pyrrhic
and they had to retreat next day pressed hard by the Austrians.
1 A. G.S., Guerra Modema, leg. 2590. I am indebted to Fr. Tomas O Fiaich,
Professor of History, Maynooth College, for information derived from
his researches on the Irish side of the O'Neills of the Fews. These
researches strongly suggest that this Terencio (Turlough) is son of Aodh
Bui of Creggan and grandson of Arturo (Art Og) who was colonel of the
Regiment of Tyrone in Spain ar.1d became Knight of Calatrava in 1662.
2 !-f.. G.S., Guerra Moderna, leg. 2590. For a report of 1737 see Document 102.
Two battalions of Hibernia, with Terence O'Neill as lieutenant
colonel in charge of the second, had suffered cruel losses in.
the battle and they were detailed to cover the retreat. Their
casualty lists are preserved and are enormous, representing
fifty per cent of their two weak battalions. The regiment of
Hibernia had eighteen officers killed and twenty-three wounded;
two hundred and seventy-nine non-commissioned officers and
men killed and some six hundred wounded; in all about one
thousand casualties from the two battalions totalling originally
about two thousand. 1
For over a year the Spanish army kept on the defensive and
retreated slowly southwards. Finally at Velletri, on the
10th of August 1744, the Austrian general tried to emulate
Prince Eugene at Cremona, forty-two years previously, and.
reaped the same reward. Before dawn Captains Slattery and
Burke with their patrol of O'Neill's regiment of Hibernia.
were the first to discover the surprise tactics and we now know,
from the diary of the Duke of Modena's aide-de-camp, 2 that
their shots were the first to warn the sleeping army that twenty
thousand Austrians were upon them.
It so happened that the regiment of Hibernia, which suffered.
such losses the previous year at Camposanto, was now the
first in the enemy's line of advance and suffered accordingly.
Before the day was out and victory had gone to Spain that
regiment was almost annihilated.
The consolation for the survivors and future soldiers of
the regiment was the Royal order that henceforth it add to
its arms the motto from the psalmist: 'In omnem terram exivit
sonus eorum.' 3
The Irish survivors of Camposanto and Velletri fought
through the campaigns of 1745 and 1746 but by then it was
decided .that they were unfit for further service and so they
received orders to embark for Mallorca and Spain. 4
A final tragedy awaited seven companies of the second.
battalion of Hibernia. Their enormous losses during the war
had reduced the seven companies to a mere sixty in rank and
file instead of nearly seven hundred, and these sixty were left
1 Soto, Historia Orgdnica de las Armas de Infanter{a y Caballerla, XI, p. 334.
2 Archivio Municipale, Piacenza: Guglielmo Power, Tableau de la Guerre
de la Pragmatique Sanction.
3
Soto, op. cit., XI, p. 336.
' Soto, op. cit., XI, p. 337.
41
in Mallorca for a year to recuperate. On the 16th of August
1748, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Terence
O'Neill, they embarked in a small ship to make the short journey
to Barcelona and when, only a few hours out, two heavily armed
Algerian corsairs bore down on them, O'Neill refused to
surrender. The unequal struggle was fierce, the boat was
boarded, O'Neill was killed and half of the sixty were casualties
before the survivors were overcome by sheer force of numbers
and compelled to spend three and a half years in chains in
Algiers. 1
Nineteen years later, in 1767, in the official regimental file
of one Captain O'Sullivan, we find the following laconic report:
He was in a fight with the Moors on the 16th day of
August 1748, in which they captured him and he remained
in Algiers three and a half years. 2

FELIX SON OF HENRY SON OF FELIM

Terence was the uncle of another O'Neill in the regiment

who was later to become its colonel. This was Felix O'Neill,
born in the parish of Creggan in Armagh, on the I st of November
1720, 3 and also of the Fews branch of the family.
Felix joined the regiment in 1730; 4 within four years he
.had been promoted to the rank of lieutenant, and in 1737,
.at the age of seventeen, he was appointed adjutant of the
:regiment. 5 It may be only a coincidence that this extraordinary
promotion of a boy of seventeen took place just three weeks
:after his uncle's promotion to the rank of lieutenant colonel. 5
Following this appointment the report of the Spanish inspector
general reads:
This officer, with time, will fill his employment with the
zeal which he seems to have, but he has very little service
and merit to his credit to appoint him adjutant major,
a post which is deserved by officers of much talent and
experience. 5

·1 Soto, op. cit., XI, p. 337.

2
A.G.S., Guerra Moderna, leg. 2592 .
.a A.H.N., Madrid, Carlos III, exp. 607. See Document 100.
' A.G.S., Guerra Modema, leg. 2591 .
.1 A.G.S., Guerra 'Modema, leg. 2592.
 But Felix was to prove later that, though before his time
he may have been made adjutant through the influence of his
uncle, he was well worthy of promotion on his own merits. He
became captain in 1741, 1 served in Italy with his regiment
during the war of the Austrian Succession and was at the
battles of Camposanto and Velletri, at which latter he was
wounded and taken prisoner. 1 In 1745, with royal permission,
he took part in the Bonny Prince Charlie expedition to Scotland,
and fought at the battle of Culloden where he was taken prisoner
by the English. 1 As a Spanish subject he was released and in
174'7, back with his regiment, he was given the rank of colonel
and was appointed commandant of the second battalion in
1755. 1 In the same year he married Jacoba Varela Sarmiento, 2
and four years later was promoted to the rank of brigadier. 3
He became colonel of the regiment in 1763 3 and later major
general, 4 captain general of 9alicia, 4 lieutenant general, 5
inspector general of infantry, 5 governor and captain general of
the army and kingdom of Aragon, 6 president of the High Court
of Aragon, 6 member of the Supreme Council of War, 6 and,
in 1792, four years before his death, he was made Knight of
the Military Order of Carlos III. 8
Felix had three sons, Terencio, Felix and Juan, all of whom
became Knights of Santiago 7 and had distinguished careers
in the army and navy.

FELIX SON OF FELIX SON OF HENRY

In 1768 Terencio was made cadet in his father's regiment

at the age of eight 8 and is probably the same as the Terencio
O'Neill who later became its colonel. Felix was also made
1 A. G.S., Guerra Modema, leg. 2592.
2
A.H.N., Madrid, Santiago, exp. 5806.
3
A.G.S., Guerra Modema, leg. 2592. See Document 105.
4
A.H.N., Madrid, Alcantara, exp. 1076.
5
A.H.N., Madrid, Santiago, exp. 5806.
·
8
A.H.N., Madrid, Carlos III, exp. 607. For his genealogy see Document
108. There are some obvious inaccuracies in the earlier part of this
genealogy as preaented by Felix. These have been clarified by Fr.
0 Fiaich's studies of the Irish background and by indications I have found
in the Spanish documents: A.G.S., Estado, leg. 2828, A.H.N., Madrid,
Calatrava, expedientes 1834 and 1835.
7 A.H.N., Madrid, Santiago, exp. 5806, and Carlos III, exp. 607.
8
A.G.S., Guerra Modema, leg. 2593.

43
cadet in the regiment a year after his brother and also at the
age of eight. 1 The first service reports of these two boys.
appear in I 772 when their father had been promoted general.
Although the boys were away at their studies and had not
yet joined their regiment the colonel reports: 'They are very
promising' .1 It is perhaps relevant to remember that their-
father was now general in the Spanish armies and his goodwill
could be very important for the colonel's promotion.
Felix left the army and in 1786 we find him in the Spanish.
navy with the rank. of teniente de fragata. 2 He became general
of the navy in I 809 and died in Cartagena on the 2nd of October
1812. 3

JUAN SON OF FELIX SON OF HENRY

The third brother, Juan, does not appear in the regiment

of Hibernia. He became colonel of the regiment of Navarra 4 and
died on the 24th of February I 809, being then general and
second in command at the heroic defence of_ Zaragoza against
the Napoleonic troops. 6
Juan seems to be the only one of these brothers who had any
children. His son Felix who married Maria Antonia Rosifiol.
.ciied in 1862 and their descendants are now settled in Mallorca ..

ENRIQUE SON OF JACOBO SON OF TEIGE

To complete this brief account of the O'Neills in Spain

mention may be made of another family of the same name, now
living in the province of Cadiz and descended from one Enrique
1
A.G.S., Guerra Modema, leg. 2593.
2
Archivo del Museo Naval, Madrid, Colecci6n Vargas Ponce, Vol. 73, f. 530.
Also in the navy at that time was another Irishman whose family for
generations had been connected by marriage with the O'Neills; he was
Capitan de Navio Enrique Reynaldo Macdonnell, later to become admiral,
and whose grandfather, Reynaldo, had been the first acting colonel of
the same regiment of Hibernia. (Archivo del Museo Naval, Madrid,
Colecci6n Vargas Ponce, vol. 73, f. 530, and A.G.S., Guerra Moderna,
leg. 2590.)
3
Archivo del Museo Naval, Madrid, Expedientes Personales.
' Soto, op. cit., XI, p. 244.
6 J. Garcia Mercadel, Pal,afox, p. 95.

44
'O'Neale of Roscrea in Co. Tipperary,1 who arrived in Bilbao·
in 1697. Enrique married in La Corufia and later settled with
his family in Puerto de Santa Maria. In the Regional Archives
of Galicia there is documentation which provides material for
a detailed account of Enrique's first thirty years in Spain.
In the province of Cadiz there are still many direct descendants
-of this Enrique and his Spanish wife Ana Maria Fernandez
Oliveros. One of these, Salvador Rivero Pastor O'Neale of
Jerez de la Frontera, is a_ Knight of the Military Order of
Calatrava, thus continuing to the present day this three hundred
and twenty-five year O'Neill tradition, begun by the son of
Great Hugh, of having their services to Spain rewarded by
knighthood of this distinguished and very exclusive order.
Although I have condensed and omitted much, this paper
has been long, but the story of the O'Neills of Spain would
deserve of us even more time · still; despite confiscation of
property, imprisonment and persecution at home, and later, on
the continent, the trailing by spies, the hounding by English
agents and persistent diplomatic pressure on their Spanish
protectors, these O'Neills still rose again and re-established
their name and family as we have briefly indicated.
Of course in this connection we must not forget the generosity
of Spain which sheltered them in need, and extended to them
all the rights of Spanish subjects, with all the opportunities
for advancement possessed by the native Spaniard. 2 But
despite all this there remained the inevitable disadvantages
and hardships of being strangers in a strange land. Yet each
O'Neill generation of the three and a half centuries from 1600
to the present day has distinguished itself with a striking and
persistent regularity. For their loyal services they have been
rewarded with titles of nobility and knighthoods of the most
select orders; they have been leaders in business and the arts;
they have· reached the rank of Army General on innumerable
occasions; they have been captains general and governors of
·provinces at home and in the New World; they have been
Presidents of the High Court and on at least three occasions,

. 1 Dr. R. C. Simington has kindly drawn my attention to records of Teige

O'Neale, Enrique's grandfather, contained in the Civil Survey, Ireland,
1654-56.
2 Spanish Royal Decrees, the 11th of May 1680, the 28th of June 1701,
the 23rd of October 1718, and the 3rd of February 1792.

4S
in three different centuries, they have been members of the
1
Supreme Council of War. The story of these O'Neills is one
of generosity and noble protection on the part of Spain and
sustained achievement on the part of every generation of the
family.