Boetius Clancy or MacClancy (died April 1598) was a 16th-century Irish landowner, MP and High Sheriff. He was born in Co Clare, the son of Hugh Clancy, and was the great-grandson of Murtagh MacClancy of Cnoc-Finn (Knockfin). The MacClancy family were the hereditary lawyers or

brehon Brehon (, ) is a term for a historical arbitration, mediative, and judicial role in Gaelic culture. Brehons were part of the system of Early Irish law, which was also simply called " Brehon law". Brehons were judges, close in importance to the ...

s of Thomond. Boetius was well educated and fluent in Latin and English. He inherited and lived at the family seat, the castle at Knockfin, near the famous law school in the parish of

Killilagh Killilagh or Killeilagh () is a Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish in County Clare, Ireland. It contains the village of Doolin. Location The parish lies in the northwest corner of the Corcomroe (barony), Barony of Corcomroe. It is and co ...

in County Clare. In 1585 he was the representative of the newly formed

County Clare County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...

in the

Parliament of Ireland The Parliament of Ireland () was the legislature of the Lordship of Ireland, and later the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1297 until the end of 1800. It was modelled on the Parliament of England and from 1537 comprised two chambers: the Irish Hou ...

and in 1588 appointed

High Sheriff of Clare The High Sheriff of Clare was a High Sheriff title. Records show that the title was in existence from at least the late 16th century, though it is not used today in the modern Republic of Ireland. The title existed within County Clare in the west ...

In that year (1588) the

Spanish Armada The Spanish Armada (often known as Invincible Armada, or the Enterprise of England, ) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by Alonso de Guzmán, Duke of Medina Sidonia, an aristocrat without previous naval ...

was trying to make its way home through severe storms off the west coast of Ireland and many ships were wrecked or abandoned. Clancy had been advised by William Fitzwilliam, the Lord Deputy that "… we authorise you to make inquiry by all good means, both by oath and otherwise, to take all the hulls of ships, stores, treasures, etc. into your hands and to apprehend and execute all Spaniards found there of what quality so ever. Torture may be used in prosecuting this inquiry". In September two large galleons, the'' San Marcos'' and the '' San Esteban'', were wrecked on the Clare coast. A reported 170 (or 70) Spanish crew survived but were promptly rounded up and imprisoned on Clancy's orders. They were subsequently tortured and hanged on a nearby hill not far from Doonagore Castle now known as ''Cnoc na Crocaire'', or Hangman's Hill and the bodies buried in a mass grave nearby. Clancy also either managed to salvage from the wreck an elaborately carved table or had it manufactured from some of the wreck's timbers. It is now known as the Armada table and kept on show at

Bunratty Castle Bunratty Castle () is a large 15th-century tower house in County Clare, Ireland. It is located in the centre of Bunratty village, by the N18 road between Limerick and Ennis, near Shannon Town and its airport. The castle and the adjoining folk ...

. He married Margaret, daughter of Donough O'Brien. He died April, 1598, leaving a son, Murtough Clancy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clancy, Boetius 1598 deaths High sheriffs of Clare Politicians from County Clare People of Elizabethan Ireland Year of birth unknown Irish MPs 1585–1586 Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Clare constituencies 16th-century Irish landowners