One of the oldest depictions of fort Derry, Ireland. Derry was sacked and burned by Clans O'Doherty & McDavitt in 1608.
Sir Cahir O'Doherty (Irish: Cathaoir Ó Dochartaigh or Caṫaoir Ó Doċartaiġ; 1587–5 July 1608) was the last GaelicChief of the Name of Clan O'Doherty and Lord of Inishowen, in what is now County Donegal. O'Doherty was a noted loyalist during Tyrone's Rebellion and became known as the Queen's O'Doherty for his service on the Crown's side during the fighting.[1]
Cahir was the son of Sir John O'Doherty, the head of the O'Dohertys and effective ruler of Inishowen.[2] One of Cahir's younger sisters was Rosa who first married Cathbarr O'Donnell and later Owen Roe O'Neill.[3] A third was Margaret, who married Oghie O'Hanlon. Cahir was fourteen when his father died and he had to spend the next few years gaining control of his lordship. Cahir's foster father was Phelim Reagh MacDavitt (Mac Daibhéid).[citation needed]
Cahir was knighted by Lord Mountjoy,[2] and for a time he seemed prepared to work amicably with the English authorities: he found a strong supporter in Sir Henry Docwra, the first Governor of Derry.[2] His marriage to Mary Preston, daughter of the 4th Viscount Gormanston, allied him to some of the leading nobles of the Pale, including Thomas FitzWilliam, 1st Viscount FitzWilliam, who in 1608 was required to stand surety for O'Doherty's good behaviour. [citation needed]
After the Flight of the Earls and angered by the eviction of his clansmen during the subsequent Plantation of Ulster, in 1608 Sir Cahir sacked and burned the town of Derry. Cahir's foster father Felim Riabhach McDavitt (Mac Daibhéid) killed Docwra's successor as Governor, Sir George Paulet, with whom Cahir had repeatedly quarrelled. Paulet has been accused of goading O'Doherty into taking up arms by a calculated series of insults under the code of conduct of an Irish clan chief. Paulet was also said to have physically assaulted O'Doherty.[4] Niall Garve O'Donnell, previously a loyal supporter of the English Crown, was also accused of supporting the rebellion. O'Doherty's precise motives for the rebellion are unclear, and its timing is also something of a puzzle, especially as the Privy Council of Ireland had just ordered that the Clan's confiscated and planted lands be restored to him. Taking revenge on Paulet was perhaps a sufficient motive in itself.[citation needed]
Newgate, Dublin. 1608. Displaying the heads of Irish rebels Cahir O'Doherty (right) and Felim Riabhach McDavitt (left).
According to historian Brian Bonner, "While and where the old traditions were retained in Inis Eoghain, Cathaoir was seen as a mighty one of the Gael. He was loved and honoured. His memory was revered and relationship with his line was a privilege which brought dignity and status to the rightful claimant. The passage of time has now dimmed his memory and the English-speaking native community has developed a distorted view of this great son of Inis Eoghain. It is indeed a paradox that the planters' view of the 'villain' who sacked Culmore and burned Derry has been passed on to the descendants of those whom Cathaoir Rua strove to defend and protect."[6]
During the 1990s, the Chief Herald of Ireland offered recognition to descendants of the chiefs of some ancient clans as recognised under the English system of primogeniture, rather than the original Brehon Law succession practice of tanistry, calling them the Chiefs of the Name. The chieftainship of the Dohertys was claimed by Dr. Ramón Salvador O'Dogherty, who claimed descent from Cahir O'Doherty's brother, Sean.[7]
In July 1990, an O'Dogherty clan gathering was held and Ramon Salvador O'Dogherty was installed as "Chief of the Name" at a ceremony in Belmont House (present-day Shantallow, County Londonderry). O'Dogherty received a traditional white wand of office and a sword which Cahir O'Doherty bore at the time of his death in battle at Kilmacrenan in 1608.[8]
References
^Rafferty, Oliver (1994). Catholicism in Ulster, 1603-1983: An Interpretative History. University of South Carolina Press. p. 10.
^"Paulet, George (DNB00)". Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Volume 44. Wikisource, The Free Library. 30 January 2011. Archived from the original on 26 September 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2012.