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{{short description|Clan leader in 16th–17th century Ireland}}
{{EngvarB|date=October 2013}} {{EngvarB|date=October 2013}}
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⚫ ] of ].]]
{{Infobox noble
⚫ '''Donal Cam O'Sullivan Beare, Prince of Beare, 1st Count of Berehaven''' ({{lang-ga|Domhnall Cam Ó Súileabháin Bhéara}}) (1561–1618), was the last independent ruler of the ] sept, and thus the last ''O'Sullivan Beare'', a Gaelic princely title, on the ] in the southwest of Ireland during the early seventeenth century, when the ] was attempting to secure their rule over the whole island.
| name = Donal Cam O'Sullivan Beare<br/><small>Domhnall Cam Ó Súileabháin Bhéara</small>
⚫ | title = The O'Sullivan Beare, 1st Count of ]
| image = File:DonalOSullivanBeare.jpg
| caption = Portrait of Donal O'Sullivan Beare, 1st Count of ] in Spanish armour
| CoA =
| tenure = 1594 – 1618
| predecessor =
| successor =
| birth_date = 1561
| birth_place = Ireland
| death_date = 16 July 1618
| death_place = ]
}}

⚫ '''Donal Cam O'Sullivan Beare, Prince of Beare, 1st Count of Berehaven''' ({{langx|ga|Domhnall Cam Ó Súileabháin Bhéara}}; 1560 – 16 July 1618) was an Irish nobleman and soldier who was the last independent ] of ] ]. He was thus the last ''O'Sullivan Beare'', a title of the ], and ] of the ] in the southwest of Ireland during the early seventeenth century, when the ] was attempting to secure their rule over the whole island.


==Early life== ==Early life==

Donal's father was killed in 1563, but he was considered too young to inherit and the clan leadership passed to the chief's surviving brother Eoin, who was confirmed by English authorities in Dublin with the title Lord of Beare and Bantry. To consolidate his position, Eoin accepted the authority of ] and was knighted, thus becoming ] Eoin. In 1587, Donal asserted his own claim to leadership of the clan, petitioning ] to put aside Sir Eoin's appointment with a claim derived from English laws based on absolute male ]. These laws did not recognise age as relevant to inheritance rights. Keen to extend English legal authority over Ireland, the Dublin commission accepted Donal's claim. He now became The O'Sullivan Beare, head of the clan. Donal Cam O'Sullivan Beare was born in 1560.<ref name=":0" /> His father was killed in 1563, but he was considered too young to inherit and the clan's leadership passed to the chief's surviving brother Eoin, who was confirmed by ] with the title Lord of Beare and Bantry. In order to consolidate his position, Eoin accepted the authority of ] and was ]ed, thus becoming ] Eoin. In 1587, Donal asserted his own claim to leadership of the clan, petitioning the Dublin Castle administration to put aside Sir Eoin's appointment with a claim derived from ]s based on absolute male ]. These laws did not recognise age as relevant to inheritance rights. Keen to extend English legal authority over Ireland, the Dublin Castle administration accepted Donal's claim. He subsequently became The O'Sullivan Beare, head of the clan.{{fact|date=October 2022}}


==Nine Years War== ==Nine Years War==
{{Main|Nine Years' War (Ireland)}} {{Main|Nine Years' War (Ireland)}}
⚫ By 1600 ] had been devastated by battle, and the Gaelic clans lost over half a million acres (4,000&nbsp;km²) of land to settlers from England following the defeat of the ].<ref>http://www.theirishstory.com/2015/09/30/the-desmond-rebellions-part-ii-the-second-rebellion-1579-83/#.WRHRc-lTGmS</ref>


⚫ By 1600, the province of ] had been devastated by battle, and ] had lost over half a million acres (4,000&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) of land to ] following the defeat of the ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theirishstory.com/2015/09/30/the-desmond-rebellions-part-ii-the-second-rebellion-1579-83/|title=The Desmond Rebellions Part II, The Second Rebellion, 1579-83 – The Irish Story}}</ref>
⚫ In the lead up to the Nine Years' War O'Sullivan kept his distance from the rebel cause, but in time he joined a confederation of Gaelic chiefs led by ], ''An Ó Néill'', and ], ''An Ó Domhnaill'', of ]. Conflict had broken out in 1594, and Lord Tyrone secured support from ]. The Spanish sent a force under the command of ] Juan D'Aquilla in 1601. O'Sullivan wrote to the Spanish king in submission to his authority, but the letter was intercepted by the English. In early 1602 the allied Irish and Spanish forces met the English and Irish force at the ] and were defeated.


⚫ In the lead up to the Nine Years' War O'Sullivan kept his distance from the rebel cause, but in time he joined a confederation of Gaelic chiefs led by ], ''Ó Néill'', and ], ''Ó Domhnaill'', of ]. Conflict had broken out in 1594, and Tyrone secured support from ]. The Spanish sent a force under the command of ] Juan D'Aquilla in 1601. O'Sullivan wrote to the Spanish king in submission to his authority, but the letter was intercepted by the English. In early 1602 the allied Irish and Spanish forces met an English force at the ] and were defeated.
⚫ O'Sullivan resolved to continue the struggle by taking control of the ]. In June 1602 English forces attacked Dunboy and the castle fell after a vicious ]. The entire company of defenders was killed in combat or executed.<ref></ref>

⚫ O'Sullivan resolved to continue the struggle by taking control of the ]. In June 1602 English forces attacked Dunboy and the castle fell after a ]. The entire company of defenders was killed in combat or hanged afterwards.<ref>{{Cite web|url= http://www.castletown.com/sullivan.htm |website=castletown.com | title = O'Sullivan Abu! | archiveurl = https://archive.today/19970223112643/http://www.castletown.com/sullivan.htm | archivedate = 23 February 1997 }}</ref>


==O'Sullivan's march== ==O'Sullivan's march==
Donal himself was absent from the siege of Dunboy, having travelled to ] for a conference with ]. His letter to Philip left him with little hope of a pardon from the English, and he continued the fight with ].


Donal himself was absent from the siege of Dunboy, having travelled to ] for a conference with Tyrone. His letter to Philip II left him with little hope of a pardon from the English, and he continued the fight with ]. He also maintained a stronghold on ] which was attacked by an English detachment under the command of ]. According to ], Carew's men killed all 300 occupants of the stronghold, including women and children who had taken shelter there, in what became known as the ].<ref>{{cite book |last=Sullivan |first=Timoth Daniel |author-link=Timothy Daniel Sullivan |title=Bantry, Berehaven and the O'Sullivan Sept |url=https://archive.org/details/bantryberehaven00sullgoog |year=1908 |place=Dublin |publisher=Sealy, Bryers & Walker}}</ref> After the fall of Dursey and Dunboy, O'Sullivan Beare, Lord of Beara and Bantry, gathered his remaining followers and set off northwards on a 500-kilometre march with 1,000 of his remaining people, starting on 31 December 1602. He hoped to meet Lord Tyrone on the shores of ].
He concealed 300 of the women, children and aged of his community in a stronghold on ], but this position was attacked, and the defenders hanged. In what was later termed the Dursey Massacre, ] (c.1590-1660; nephew of Donal Cam O'Sullivan Beare) wrote that the women and children of the Dursey stronghold were massacred by the English, who tied them back-to-back, threw them from the cliffs, and shot at them with muskets.


He fought a long rearguard action northwards through Ireland, through ], ] and ], during which the much larger English force and their Irish allies fought him all the way. The march was marked by the suffering of the fleeing and starving O'Sullivans as they sought food from an already decimated Irish countryside in winter. They faced equally desperate people in this, often resulting in hostility, such as from the Mac Egans at ] in Tipperary and at Donohill in O'Dwyer's country, where they raided the food store of ]. O'Sullivan marched through ], where he raided villages for food and met local resistance.
After the fall of Dursey and Dunboy, O'Sullivan Beare, Lord of Beara and Bantry, gathered his remaining followers and set off northwards on a 500-kilometre march with 1,000 of his remaining people, starting on 31 December 1602. He hoped to meet Lord Tyrone on the shores of ].


He fought a long rearguard action northwards through Ireland, through ], ] and ], during which the much larger English force and their Irish allies fought him all the way. The march was marked by the suffering of the fleeing and starving O'Sullivans as they sought food from an already decimated Irish countryside in winter. They faced equally desperate people in this, often resulting in hostility, such as from the Mac Egans at ] in Tipperary and at Donohill in O'Dwyer's country, where they raided the food store of ]. O'Sullivan marched through ], where he raided villages for food and met local resistance. He was barred entrance to ] and led his refugees further north. On their arrival at ] castle in ] on 4 January 1603, after a ]'s hard marching and fighting, only 35 of the original 1,000 remained. Many had died in battles or from exposure and hunger, and others had taken shelter or fled along the route. O'Sullivan Beare had marched over 500 kilometres, crossed the ] in the dark of a midwinter night (having taken just two days to make a boat of skin and hazel rods to carry 28 at a time the half-kilometre across the river), fought battles and constant skirmishes, and lost almost all of his people during the hardships of the journey. He was barred entrance to ] and led his refugees further north. On their arrival at ]'s castle in ] on 14 January 1603, after a ]'s hard marching and fighting, only 35 of the original 1,000 remained. Many had died in battles or from exposure and hunger, and others had taken shelter or fled along the route. O'Sullivan Beare had marched over 500 kilometres, crossed the ] in the dark of a midwinter night (having taken just two days to make a boat of skin and hazel rods to carry 28 at a time the half-kilometre across the river), fought battles and constant skirmishes, and lost almost all of his people during the hardships of the journey.


In ], O'Sullivan Beare sought to join with other northern chiefs to fight the English, and organised a force to this end, but resistance ended when ] signed the ]. O'Sullivan, like other members of the ] who ], sought exile, making his escape to ] by ship. In ], O'Sullivan Beare sought to join with other northern chiefs to launch a campaign against the English Crown, and organised a force to this end, but resistance ended when Tyrone signed the ]. O'Sullivan, like other members of the ] who ], sought exile, making his escape to ] by ship. The ] long-distance walking trail follows closely the line of the historical march.

The ] long-distance walking trail follows closely the line of the historical march.


==Exile== ==Exile==

When he left Ireland, Cornelius O'Driscoll and other Irish knights helped him and his clan. In Spain, O'Sullivan Beare was welcomed by ] ]. His princely status was reconfirmed, and he received a commission as an imperial general. His nephew, ], was important in this regard and his 1618 disquisition in ], ''A Briefe Relation of Ireland and the diversity of Irish in the same'', was influential.<ref name="ucc">{{cite web|url=http://www.ucc.ie/acad/classics/CNLS/lectures/Morgan_madrid.html |accessdate=30 October 2009 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050330160649/http://www.ucc.ie/acad/classics/CNLS/lectures/Morgan_madrid.html |archivedate=30 March 2005 }}</ref> When he left Ireland, Cornelius O'Driscoll and other Irish knights helped him and his clan. In Spain, O'Sullivan Beare was welcomed by ]. His princely status was reconfirmed, and he received a commission as an imperial general. His nephew, ], was important in this regard and his 1618 disquisition in ], ''A Briefe Relation of Ireland and the diversity of Irish in the same'', was influential.<ref name="ucc">{{cite web|url=http://www.ucc.ie/acad/classics/CNLS/lectures/Morgan_madrid.html | title = 'Un pueblo unido...': the politics of Philip O'Sullivan Beare | access-date=30 October 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050330160649/http://www.ucc.ie/acad/classics/CNLS/lectures/Morgan_madrid.html |archive-date=30 March 2005 }}</ref>
] ]


In 1618, The O'Sullivan Beare, ] of Beare and 1st ] of ], was murdered just as he was leaving Mass in the Plaza de Santo Domingo in ]. The murderer was John Bathe, a Dublin Englishman who had been disfigured in a duel by the prince's nephew, on account of some arguments between Bathe and O'Sullivan; it is also said that the man was a spy on behalf the English Crown. On 16 July 1618, The O'Sullivan Beare, ] of Beare and 1st ] of ], was murdered just as he was leaving Mass in the Plaza de Santo Domingo in ].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> The man who killed him was John Bathe, a ] from ] who had been disfigured in a duel by the prince's nephew, on account of some arguments between Bathe and O'Sullivan;<ref name=":1">{{cite web|url = https://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/commentanalysis/arid-30861955.html | publisher = Irish Examiner | website = irishexaminer.com | title =400 years ago this summer, the great leader O'Sullivan Beare had his throat cut in Spain | date = 14 August 2018 | accessdate = 27 May 2022 }}</ref> it was also claimed that the man was a spy on behalf the English Crown.


The O'Sullivan Beare enjoyed a wide reputation, which helped to open doors for later soldiers from his line. About 165 years later, ], regarded as a descendant of O'Sullivan Beare, served as a general in the ]. The O'Sullivan Beare had a reputation as "one of the most celebrated Irish soldiers",<ref name=":0">{{cite journal|url = https://www.dib.ie/biography/osullivan-beare-domhnall-a7078 | journal = Dictionary of Irish Biography | title = O'Sullivan Beare, Domhnall | date = October 2009 | doi = 10.3318/dib.007078.v1 | accessdate = 27 May 2022 | last1 = O'Byrne | first1 = Emmett }}</ref> which helped to open doors for later soldiers from his line. About 165 years later, ], regarded as a descendant of O'Sullivan Beare, served as a general in the ].

⚫ ==See also==
⚫ *]
⚫ *]
⚫ *]


==In popular culture== ==In popular culture==
Donal Cam O'Sullivan Beare is mentioned in the early 20th-century ] poetry of ] (1882–1957).<ref>Edited by Natasha Sumner and Aidan Doyle (2020), ''North American Gaels: Speech, Song, and Story in the Diaspora'', ]. Pages 228–249.</ref> Other works, relating to O'Sullivan Beare, include:

*''The Last Prince of Ireland'' by Morgan Llywelyn *''The Last Prince of Ireland'' by Morgan Llywelyn
*''March into Oblivion'' by Michael J. Carroll *''March into Oblivion'' by Michael J. Carroll
*''O'Sullivan's Odyssey'' by Rick Spier *''O'Sullivan's Odyssey'' by Rick Spier

⚫ ==See also==
⚫ *]
⚫ *]
⚫ *]


==References== ==References==
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Latest revision as of 18:34, 1 January 2025

Clan leader in 16th–17th century Ireland

Donal Cam O'Sullivan Beare
Domhnall Cam Ó Súileabháin Bhéara
The O'Sullivan Beare, 1st Count of Berehaven
Portrait of Donal O'Sullivan Beare, 1st Count of Berehaven in Spanish armour
Tenure1594 – 1618
Born1561
Ireland
Died16 July 1618
Madrid

Donal Cam O'Sullivan Beare, Prince of Beare, 1st Count of Berehaven (Irish: Domhnall Cam Ó Súileabháin Bhéara; 1560 – 16 July 1618) was an Irish nobleman and soldier who was the last independent Chief of the Name of Clan O'Sullivan. He was thus the last O'Sullivan Beare, a title of the Gaelic nobility of Ireland, and Lord of the Beara Peninsula in the southwest of Ireland during the early seventeenth century, when the English Crown was attempting to secure their rule over the whole island.

Early life

Donal Cam O'Sullivan Beare was born in 1560. His father was killed in 1563, but he was considered too young to inherit and the clan's leadership passed to the chief's surviving brother Eoin, who was confirmed by Dublin Castle administration with the title Lord of Beare and Bantry. In order to consolidate his position, Eoin accepted the authority of Queen Elizabeth I and was knighted, thus becoming Sir Eoin. In 1587, Donal asserted his own claim to leadership of the clan, petitioning the Dublin Castle administration to put aside Sir Eoin's appointment with a claim derived from English laws based on absolute male primogeniture. These laws did not recognise age as relevant to inheritance rights. Keen to extend English legal authority over Ireland, the Dublin Castle administration accepted Donal's claim. He subsequently became The O'Sullivan Beare, head of the clan.

Nine Years War

Main article: Nine Years' War (Ireland)

By 1600, the province of Munster had been devastated by battle, and Irish Catholics had lost over half a million acres (4,000 km) of land to Protestant settlers following the defeat of the Desmond Rebellions.

In the lead up to the Nine Years' War O'Sullivan kept his distance from the rebel cause, but in time he joined a confederation of Gaelic chiefs led by Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, Ó Néill, and Red Hugh O'Donnell, Ó Domhnaill, of Ulster. Conflict had broken out in 1594, and Tyrone secured support from Philip II of Spain. The Spanish sent a force under the command of Don Juan D'Aquilla in 1601. O'Sullivan wrote to the Spanish king in submission to his authority, but the letter was intercepted by the English. In early 1602 the allied Irish and Spanish forces met an English force at the Battle of Kinsale and were defeated.

O'Sullivan resolved to continue the struggle by taking control of the castle of Dunboy. In June 1602 English forces attacked Dunboy and the castle fell after a brief siege. The entire company of defenders was killed in combat or hanged afterwards.

O'Sullivan's march

Donal himself was absent from the siege of Dunboy, having travelled to Ulster for a conference with Tyrone. His letter to Philip II left him with little hope of a pardon from the English, and he continued the fight with guerilla tactics. He also maintained a stronghold on Dursey Island which was attacked by an English detachment under the command of George Carew. According to Philip O'Sullivan Beare, Carew's men killed all 300 occupants of the stronghold, including women and children who had taken shelter there, in what became known as the Dursey Island massacre. After the fall of Dursey and Dunboy, O'Sullivan Beare, Lord of Beara and Bantry, gathered his remaining followers and set off northwards on a 500-kilometre march with 1,000 of his remaining people, starting on 31 December 1602. He hoped to meet Lord Tyrone on the shores of Lough Neagh.

He fought a long rearguard action northwards through Ireland, through Munster, Connacht and Ulster, during which the much larger English force and their Irish allies fought him all the way. The march was marked by the suffering of the fleeing and starving O'Sullivans as they sought food from an already decimated Irish countryside in winter. They faced equally desperate people in this, often resulting in hostility, such as from the Mac Egans at Redwood Castle in Tipperary and at Donohill in O'Dwyer's country, where they raided the food store of The 10th Earl of Ormond. O'Sullivan marched through Aughrim, where he raided villages for food and met local resistance.

He was barred entrance to Glinsk Castle and led his refugees further north. On their arrival at Brian Oge O'Rourke's castle in West Breifne on 14 January 1603, after a fortnight's hard marching and fighting, only 35 of the original 1,000 remained. Many had died in battles or from exposure and hunger, and others had taken shelter or fled along the route. O'Sullivan Beare had marched over 500 kilometres, crossed the River Shannon in the dark of a midwinter night (having taken just two days to make a boat of skin and hazel rods to carry 28 at a time the half-kilometre across the river), fought battles and constant skirmishes, and lost almost all of his people during the hardships of the journey.

In County Leitrim, O'Sullivan Beare sought to join with other northern chiefs to launch a campaign against the English Crown, and organised a force to this end, but resistance ended when Tyrone signed the Treaty of Mellifont. O'Sullivan, like other members of the Gaelic nobility of Ireland who fled, sought exile, making his escape to Spain by ship. The Beara-Breifne Way long-distance walking trail follows closely the line of the historical march.

Exile

When he left Ireland, Cornelius O'Driscoll and other Irish knights helped him and his clan. In Spain, O'Sullivan Beare was welcomed by Philip III. His princely status was reconfirmed, and he received a commission as an imperial general. His nephew, Philip O'Sullivan Beare, was important in this regard and his 1618 disquisition in Latin, A Briefe Relation of Ireland and the diversity of Irish in the same, was influential.

General John Sullivan of New Hampshire

On 16 July 1618, The O'Sullivan Beare, Prince of Beare and 1st Count of Berehaven, was murdered just as he was leaving Mass in the Plaza de Santo Domingo in Madrid. The man who killed him was John Bathe, a Anglo-Irishman from Dublin who had been disfigured in a duel by the prince's nephew, on account of some arguments between Bathe and O'Sullivan; it was also claimed that the man was a spy on behalf the English Crown.

The O'Sullivan Beare had a reputation as "one of the most celebrated Irish soldiers", which helped to open doors for later soldiers from his line. About 165 years later, John Sullivan, regarded as a descendant of O'Sullivan Beare, served as a general in the American Revolution.

In popular culture

Donal Cam O'Sullivan Beare is mentioned in the early 20th-century Aisling poetry of Seán Gaelach Ó Súilleabháin (1882–1957). Other works, relating to O'Sullivan Beare, include:

  • The Last Prince of Ireland by Morgan Llywelyn
  • March into Oblivion by Michael J. Carroll
  • O'Sullivan's Odyssey by Rick Spier

See also

References

  1. ^ O'Byrne, Emmett (October 2009). "O'Sullivan Beare, Domhnall". Dictionary of Irish Biography. doi:10.3318/dib.007078.v1. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  2. "The Desmond Rebellions Part II, The Second Rebellion, 1579-83 – The Irish Story".
  3. "O'Sullivan Abu!". castletown.com. Archived from the original on 23 February 1997.
  4. Sullivan, Timoth Daniel (1908). Bantry, Berehaven and the O'Sullivan Sept. Dublin: Sealy, Bryers & Walker.
  5. "'Un pueblo unido...': the politics of Philip O'Sullivan Beare". Archived from the original on 30 March 2005. Retrieved 30 October 2009.
  6. ^ "400 years ago this summer, the great leader O'Sullivan Beare had his throat cut in Spain". irishexaminer.com. Irish Examiner. 14 August 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  7. Edited by Natasha Sumner and Aidan Doyle (2020), North American Gaels: Speech, Song, and Story in the Diaspora, McGill-Queen's University Press. Pages 228–249.
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