Donal of the Skins or Hides (), also called Peltry O'Donovan or simply Donal I O'Donovan (), was The

O'Donovan The O'Donovan family is an ancient Irish nobility, Irish noble family. Their patronymic surname derives from Irish ''Ó Donnabháin'', meaning the grandsons or descendants of Donnubán, referring to the 10th century ruler of the Uí Fidgenti, ...

Mor, Lord of Clancahill from his inauguration with the

White Wand The White Rod, White Wand, Rod of Inauguration, or Wand of Sovereignty, in the Irish language variously called the slat na ríghe (rod of kingship) and slat tighearnais (rod of lordship), was the primary symbol of a Gaelic king or lord's legitima ...

circa 1560 by the

MacCarthy Reagh The MacCarthy Reagh (Irish: ''Mac Cárthaigh Riabhach'') dynasty are a branch of the MacCarthy dynasty, Kings of Desmond, deriving from the Eóganacht Chaisil sept. History The Mac Cárthaigh Riabhach seated themselves as kings of Carbery in ...

, Prince of Carbery, to his death in 1584. Although not recorded his inaugurator was probably

Cormac na Haoine MacCarthy Reagh, 10th Prince of Carbery Cormac na Haoine MacCarthy Reagh, 13th Prince of Carbery (c. 1490–1567) was an Irish chieftain who owned almost half a million acres in south west Ireland. Birth and origins Cormac was born in Carbery about 1490, the eldest son of Donal ...

. He was the son of Teige of Dromasta, The O'Donovan Mor, and Helena O'Donovan, daughter of Denis O'Donovan MacEnesles of Moyny. He was not raised as an O'Donovan, but was instead fostered by the

O'Leary O'Leary is an Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó Laoghaire, meaning "descendant of Laoghaire"—a personal name often interpreted as "keeper of the calves" or "calf herder." The name is historically associated with a prominent family lineage ...

of Carrignacurra. Donal married his foster father's daughter, Ellen O'Leary, and upon coming of age, pronounced himself as an O'Donovan, and seized the chieftainship by force of arms. By his marriage to Ellen, his foster sister, he had Diarmaid O'Donovan, who was hanged for raiding in their territory by the forces of

Donal Cam O'Sullivan Beare Donal Cam O'Sullivan Beare, Prince of Beare, 1st Count of Berehaven (; 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 ...

in 1581, Teige and "other sons", who in 1592 were declared

illegitimate Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as ''b ...

(i.e., not bastards) by the Lord Chancellor Adam Loftus. He was followed in the chieftainship of Clan Cahill by his son, Donal, upon his death in 1584. His son

Donal II O'Donovan Donal II O'Donovan (), The O'Donovan of Clann Cathail, Lord of Clancahill ( – 1639), was the son of Ellen O'Leary, daughter of O'Leary of Inchigeelagh, Carrignacurra, and Donal of the Skins, The O'Donovan of Clann Cathail. He is most commonly r ...

was recognized as chief of Clan Cahill by his then father in law, MacCarthy Reagh. The younger Teige attempted to contest the succession, alleging Donal II was a bastard, but failed in his attempt.

Epithet

Donal's epithet ''na g-Croiceann'' or "of the Skins" is believed to come from his being, when a child, wrapped by his mother in cow hides to protect him from the enemies of his father.

Life

Donal is best known for allegedly slaughtering approximately fifteen of his own kinsfolk, and dispossessing still more, to become O'Donovan, Lord of Clancahill. The events as they have come down to later generations are as follows.

Fostered by O'Leary

Donal of the hides (or Domhnall Na-g-Croiceann), so called from having been wrapped in a cow-hide when an infant by his mother elenato escape from the claimants to the chieftainship of Clan-Cathal, who conspired to murder him. Helena and the infant were taken to O'Leary Castle ‘Masters’ in the parish of Inchageelah, in Ibh-Leary, after Teige O’Donovan, his father, was murdered. O'Leary of Carrignacurra gave refuge to Helena and the infant. Donal was not raised as an O'Donovan, but was instead fostered by the O'Leary of Carrignacurra as his son. Donal married his foster father's daughter, Ellen O'Leary of Carrignacurra, in 1540. Ellen O'Leary daughter of O'Leary of Carrignacurra, is believed to have come with a substantial dowry, which significantly improved Donal's fortunes. They were married at the Church of Drumali llen 1522-1590 was aged 18 when she married Donal married Ellen O'Leary after having by her Diarmaid O'Donovan ‘Dermod’. Their later issue was, among other sons, Donal II O'Donovan. Upon coming of age, Donal pronounced himself as an O'Donovan, and seized the chieftainship by force of arms. Assisted by O’Leary’s family and followers, together with Denis Meeny O’Donovan and MacConnolly.

Diarmaid an Bhairc

Diarmaid O'Donovan was slain by Donal O’Sullivan Beare in 1581 following a raid urged by English Queen Elizabeth I into O’Sullivan territory.

References

* Burke, Bernard and

Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd Hugh John Massingberd (30 December 1946 – 25 December 2007), originally Hugh John Montgomery and known from 1963 to 1992 as Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd, was an English journalist and genealogist. He began his career at ''Burke's Peerage''/''Bur ...

, ''Burke's Irish Family Records''. London: Burke's Peerage Ltd. 5th edition, 1976. * Burke, Bernard and Ashworth Peter Burke,
A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Ireland
'. London: Harrison & Sons. 9th edition, 1899. pp. 341–2 *

John Collins of Myross John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second Ep ...

, ''Pedigree/History of the O'Donovan(s) family''. Extracts from unpublished early 19th-century manuscript (probably now lost), based on earlier accounts (lost). * ''Fiants of Queen Elizabeth''. Deputy Keeper of the Public Records in Ireland. * Hooker, John,
The Life and Times of Sir Peter Carew, Kt.
'. Late 16th century. Ed. w/ intro. & notes by John MacLean. London: Bell & Daldy. 1857. * O'Donovan, John (ed. & tr.), '' Annala Rioghachta Eireann. Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland by the Four Masters, from the Earliest Period to the Year 1616''. 7 vols. Dublin:

Royal Irish Academy The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the natural sciences, arts, literature, and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned society and one of its le ...

. 2nd edition, 1856
Volume V
pp. 1762–3
Volume VI
Pedigree of the O'Donovan family, pp. 2441, also 2439–40 * O'Donovan, John,
The Genealogies, Tribes, and Customs of Hy-Fiachrach
'. Dublin: Irish Archaeological Society. 1844. pp. 444–450 * O'Hart, John,
Irish Pedigrees
'. Dublin: James Duffy and Co. 5th edition, 1892. pp. 199–200 * Ó Murchadha, Diarmuid, ''Family Names of County Cork''. Cork: The Collins Press. 2nd edition, 1996.

Epithet

Life

Fostered by O'Leary

Diarmaid an Bhairc

References

Further reading