Somhairle Mac Domhnail
Encyclopedia
Somhairle Mac Domhnaill called by English speakers Sorley McDonnell, was a renowned soldier for the Gaelic cause in Ireland
and Scotland
during the Thirty Years War and the patron who commissioned two 17th century manuscript collections of poems, Duanaire Finn and The Book of O'Connor Donn.
about the year 1580 to Séamas Mac Domhnaill of Dunluce, son of the renowned Sorley Boy MacDonnell
) and Máire Ní Néill of the Clandeboy O'Neills. The English conquest of 1601 ended any hopes of Somhairle's to succeed to his father's lands.
, Jura
Colonsay
and Kintyre
, but fled to Ireland when Archibald Campbell, 7th Earl of Argyll
, led an army against them.
In 1616 he captured a ship in Larne
and continued the fight in the Inner Hebrides
. He then captured a French ship and sailed to Dunkirk in the Spanish Netherlands with a band of Scotsmen to engage in the Spanish army.
As a result of French and English protest to the Spanish government in the Netherlands, Mac Domhnail and his men had to seek asylum in an abbey in Dunkirk. After intervention by Ó Néill
and Ó Domhnaill they were allowed their freedom.
. He took part in the Bohemian campaign in the Thirty Years War and fought at the head of his company in the Verdugo regiment in the Battle of White Mountain
, 1620.
He returned to the Netherlands in 1624 and spent some time in the garrison of Ostend
, with the Franciscan priest Brian Mac Giolla Coinnigh as chaplain to his company He is believed to have spent his final years in penury in the Irish College of St Anthony in Leuven
, where he died about 1632.
Some years later, Mac Domhnail's son, Séamas mac Somhairle Mac Donmhnaill, served as lieutenant to his kinsman, Alastair mac Colla Chiotaigh Mac Domhnaill (Alasdair Mac Colla), in Scotland (1644-45), and in Ireland afterwards, before serving in the Spanish army in the Netherlands.
in three volumes between 1908 and 1953. Both books were bequeathed by Mac Domhnail to the Irish College in Leuven
.
' novel An Cléireach
..
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
during the Thirty Years War and the patron who commissioned two 17th century manuscript collections of poems, Duanaire Finn and The Book of O'Connor Donn.
Early life
Mac Domhnaill was born in the Glens of County AntrimCounty Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
about the year 1580 to Séamas Mac Domhnaill of Dunluce, son of the renowned Sorley Boy MacDonnell
Sorley Boy MacDonnell
Somhairle Buidhe Mac Domhnaill , Scoto-Irish prince or flaith and chief, was the son of Alexander MacDonnell, lord of Islay and Kintyre , and Catherine, daughter of the Lord of Ardnamurchan...
) and Máire Ní Néill of the Clandeboy O'Neills. The English conquest of 1601 ended any hopes of Somhairle's to succeed to his father's lands.
Rebel
He was party to the Irish rebel conspiracy of 1615. When the rebellion fell through he escaped to Scotland to take part in a MacDonald rising. In the space of a few months the overturned Campbell control of hereditary MacDonald lands in IslayIslay
-Prehistory:The earliest settlers on Islay were nomadic hunter-gatherers who arrived during the Mesolithic period after the retreat of the Pleistocene ice caps. In 1993 a flint arrowhead was found in a field near Bridgend dating from 10,800 BC, the earliest evidence of a human presence found so far...
, Jura
Jura, Scotland
Jura is an island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, situated adjacent and to the north-east of Islay. Part of the island is designated as a National Scenic Area. Until the twentieth century Jura was dominated - and most of it was eventually owned - by the Campbell clan of Inveraray Castle on Loch...
Colonsay
Colonsay
Colonsay is an island in the Scottish Inner Hebrides, located north of Islay and south of Mull and has an area of . It is the ancestral home of Clan Macfie and the Colonsay branch of Clan MacNeill. Aligned on a south-west to north-east axis, it measures in length and reaches at its widest...
and Kintyre
Kintyre
Kintyre is a peninsula in western Scotland, in the southwest of Argyll and Bute. The region stretches approximately 30 miles , from the Mull of Kintyre in the south, to East Loch Tarbert in the north...
, but fled to Ireland when Archibald Campbell, 7th Earl of Argyll
Archibald Campbell, 7th Earl of Argyll
Archibald Campbell, 7th Earl of Argyll , also called "Gillesbuig Grumach", was a Scottish politician and military leader.-Biography:...
, led an army against them.
In 1616 he captured a ship in Larne
Larne
Larne is a substantial seaport and industrial market town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland with a population of 18,228 people in the 2001 Census. As of 2011, there are about 31,000 residents in the greater Larne area. It has been used as a seaport for over 1,000 years, and is...
and continued the fight in the Inner Hebrides
Inner Hebrides
The Inner Hebrides is an archipelago off the west coast of Scotland, to the south east of the Outer Hebrides. Together these two island chains form the Hebrides, which enjoy a mild oceanic climate. There are 36 inhabited islands and a further 43 uninhabited Inner Hebrides with an area greater than...
. He then captured a French ship and sailed to Dunkirk in the Spanish Netherlands with a band of Scotsmen to engage in the Spanish army.
As a result of French and English protest to the Spanish government in the Netherlands, Mac Domhnail and his men had to seek asylum in an abbey in Dunkirk. After intervention by Ó Néill
O'Neill dynasty
The O'Neill dynasty is a group of families that have held prominent positions and titles throughout European history. The O'Neills take their name from Niall Glúndub, an early 10th century High King of Ireland from the Cenél nEógain...
and Ó Domhnaill they were allowed their freedom.
Soldier
As a captain in the Spanish army, Mac Domhnail was commissioned to raise a company of musketeers in FlandersFlanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
. He took part in the Bohemian campaign in the Thirty Years War and fought at the head of his company in the Verdugo regiment in the Battle of White Mountain
Battle of White Mountain
The Battle of White Mountain, 8 November 1620 was an early battle in the Thirty Years' War in which an army of 30,000 Bohemians and mercenaries under Christian of Anhalt were routed by 27,000 men of the combined armies of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor under Charles Bonaventure de Longueval,...
, 1620.
He returned to the Netherlands in 1624 and spent some time in the garrison of Ostend
Ostend
Ostend is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerke , Stene and Zandvoorde, and the city of Ostend proper – the largest on the Belgian coast....
, with the Franciscan priest Brian Mac Giolla Coinnigh as chaplain to his company He is believed to have spent his final years in penury in the Irish College of St Anthony in Leuven
Leuven
Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
, where he died about 1632.
Some years later, Mac Domhnail's son, Séamas mac Somhairle Mac Donmhnaill, served as lieutenant to his kinsman, Alastair mac Colla Chiotaigh Mac Domhnaill (Alasdair Mac Colla), in Scotland (1644-45), and in Ireland afterwards, before serving in the Spanish army in the Netherlands.
Patron of the Arts
In the period spent in Ostend he commissioned the writing of two manuscripts , a collection of Fenian Lays, Duanaire Finn, and a collection of bardic poetry, The Book of O'Connor Donn. The collection of Lays in Duanaire Finn, written by the scribe and soldier Aodh Ó Dochartaigh in 1627, was published by Dr Eoin Mac Néill and Gerard MurphyGerard Murphy
Gerard Murphy may refer to:* Gerard Murphy , Irish Fine Gael politician, TD for Cork North West* Gerard Murphy , Irish mathematics professor* Gerard Murphy in The Brink's Job...
in three volumes between 1908 and 1953. Both books were bequeathed by Mac Domhnail to the Irish College in Leuven
Leuven
Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
.
In literature
Mac Domhnaill is depicted as an historical character in Darach Ó ScolaíDarach Ó Scolaí
Darach Ó Scolaí is an Irish novelist, playwright, publisher, and artist living in the County Galway Gaeltacht of Connemara. He was awarded the Oireachtas Prize for Literature in 2007 for his novel, An Cléireach.- Writing :...
' novel An Cléireach
An Cléireach
An Cléireach is a novel by the Irish writer Darach Ó Scolaí, published in 2007 and winner of the 2007 Oireachtas Prize for Literature.The protogonist and narrator is a soldier and clerk in dispute with his colonel over a promotion...
..