MacCarthy of Muskerry

Last updated

MacCarthy
Mac Cárthaigh
MacCarthy.png
Parent family MacCarthy Mor
Founded1353
Founder Dermot, 1st Lord of Muskerry
Final ruler Donogh, 4th Earl of Clancarty
Titles Lord of Muskerry, Viscount Muskerry, and Earl of Clancarty
Estate(s)Muskerry

The MacCarthy dynasty of Muskerry is a tacksman branch of the MacCarthy Mor dynasty, the Kings of Desmond.

Contents

Origins and advancement

Family tree
The main line of the MacCarthys of Muskerry. [lower-alpha 1]
Dermot
1st Lord

1310–1367
Cormac
2nd Lord

d. 1374
Teige
6th Lord

1380–1448
Owen
7th Lord

Cormac
8th Lord

Cormac
Laidir
9th Lord

1411–1494
Mary
Fitzmaurice
Owen
MacCarthy

d. 1498
Cormac
Oge Laidir
10th Lord

1447–1536
Catherine
Barry
Teige
11th Lord
1472–1565
Callaghan
12th Lord
Dermot
13th Lord
1501–1570
Ellen
FitzGerald
Cormac
14th Lord
d. 1583
tanist
Callaghan
15th Lord
tanist
resigned 1584
Donogh
O'Brien
4th Earl
Thomond

d. 1624
Cormac
MacDermot
16th Lord

1552–1616
Mary
Butler
Margaret
O'Brien

d. c. 1599
Charles
1st Viscount
Muskerry

d. 1641
Ellen
Roche
Donough
1st Earl
1594–1665
Eleanor
Butler

1612–1682
Charles
Viscount
Muskerry**

c. 1633 – 1665
d.v.p.*
Margaret
Bourke

d. 1698
Callaghan
3rd Earl

d. 1676
Elizabeth
FitzGerald

d. 1698
Justin
Viscount
Mountcashel

c. 1643 – 1694
Charles James
2nd Earl
1663–1666
infant
Donough
4th Earl

1668–1734
Elizabeth
Spencer

1671–1704
Robert
MacCarty

1698–1769
Elizabeth
Farnelly
Legend
XXX Lords & Viscounts Muskerry,
as well as Earls of Clancarty
XXX Viscount
Mountcashel
*d.v.p. = predeceased his father (decessit vita patris)
**courtesy title

The MacCarthy of Muskerry are a cadet branch of the MacCarthy Mor, Kings of Desmond. This cadet branch was founded by Dermot MacCarthy, 1st Lord of Muskerry, second son of Cormac MacCarthy Mor, King of Desmond, [10] who was in 1353 created Lord of Muskerry by the English. [11] This title's position is unclear. Cormac Laidir MacCarthy, 9th Lord of Muskerry was called Dominus and F. Dermot's descendant Cormac Oge MacCarthy, 17th Lord of Muskerry, was in 1628 created Charles MacCarthy, 1st Viscount Muskerry, and his son, the 2nd Viscount Muskerry, was in 1658 created Donough MacCarty, 1st Earl of Clancarty.

Lands

The family's ancestral lands of were situated along the River Lee in the baronies of Muskerry West and Muskerry East, in central County Cork west of the City of Cork.

Castles

Monasteries

Kilcrea Friary, built by Cormac Laidir MacCarthy, 9th Lord of Muskerry

Blarney Stone

The Blarney Stone passed from MacCarthy hands during the Williamite wars. Following the forfeiture by Donogh McCarthy, 4th Earl of Clancarthy, the castle property passed to the Hollow Sword Blade Company who subsequently sold it to Sir James St. John Jefferyes, Governor of Cork in 1688.

DownFall

Donough MacCarthy, 4th Earl of Clancarty fought in the Williamite War in Ireland for James II of England against William III of England. He was attainted at the defeat in 1691 and the MacCarthys of Muskerry lost the noble titles of Earl of Clancarty, Viscount Muskerry, and Baron Blarney. [13]

The titles of Mountcashel and Baron Castleinch, of the (1689 creation, went extinct with the death of Justin MacCarthy in 1694. At that date the MacCarthys of Muskerry had therefore lost all their noble titles in the peerage of Ireland.

Legacy

The dynasty is still in existence and can be considered to still broadly belong to the Irish nobility, but its leadership is in confusion. There also remains some dispute with their (friendly) rivals and kinsmen the MacCarthys Reagh, concerning the title Prince of Desmond. The main line of the MacCarthy Mor dynasty became extinct in the late 16th century and it has ever since been unclear who inherits the title, because of the advent of the career of Florence MacCarthy. See Kingdom of Desmond. There are also earlier MacCarthy Mor septs in existence who are claimants. The situation was recently thrown into even more exotic confusion by the impostor Terence Francis MacCarthy.(the dyanasty is not extinct most of the family moved to America and the family name was changed ever so slightly over the years to McCarthy, McCarty and then through marriage McClendan it became both an Irish and Scottish family.

Notes and references

Notes

  1. This family tree is based on a tree of the Lords of Muskerry, [1] a tree showing Donough and near family around him, [2] and on genealogies of the Earls of Clancarty, [3] [4] [5] the MacCarthy of Muskerry family, [6] the Earls of Thomond, [7] [8] and the Earls of Ormond. [9]

Citations

  1. Gillman 1892, fold-out.
  2. Butler 1925, p.  255, Note 8The following rough pedigree ...
  3. Burke 1866, p.  344, left columnGenealogy of the earls of Clancarty
  4. Cokayne 1913, pp.  214–217Genealogy of the earls of Clancarty
  5. Keating 1723, p.  2.
  6. Lainé 1836, pp.  74–78Genealogy of the MacCarthy of Muskerry family
  7. Burke 1866, pp.  405–406Genealogy of the earls of Thomond
  8. Cokayne 1896, pp.  391–395Genealogy of the earls of Thomond
  9. Burke & Burke 1915, pp.  1548–1552Genealogy of the earls of Ormond
  10. O'Hart 1892, p.  122, top. "Cormac MacCarty Mor, Prince of Desmond (see the MacCarty Mór Stem, No. 115,) had a second son, Dermod Mór, of Muscry (now Muskerry) who was the ancestor of MacCarthy, lords of Muscry and earls of Clan Carthy."
  11. O'Hart 1892, p.  122, left column, line 3. "... created, by the English, in 1353 'Lord of Muskerry';"
  12. "Drishane Castle". millstreet.ie. Retrieved 26 February 2023. Dermot Mór, the second son of Teige the 3rd Lord of Muskerry [..] is said to have built Kilmeedy and Carrigaphooca in the great period in which his brother, Cormac Láidir, was building Blarney and Kilcrea. Dermot died in 1448
  13. Cokayne 1913, p.  217, line 3: "... his immense estates (worth at their now value £200 000 a year) having been forfeited, and he himself attainted, when all his honours became forfeited, 11 May 1691."

Sources

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingdom of Desmond</span> Kingdom in southwest Ireland (1118–1596)

The Kingdom of Desmond was a historic kingdom in southwestern Ireland. It was founded in 1118 by Tadhg Mac Cárthaigh, King of Munster when the Treaty of Glanmire formally divided the Kingdom of Munster into Desmond and Thomond. It comprised all of what is now County Cork and most of County Kerry. Desmond was ruled by the Mac Cárthaigh (MacCarthy) dynasty. Other clans within the kingdom included the O'Sullivans and O'Donovans. Following the Norman invasion of Ireland in the late 12th century, the eastern half of Desmond was conquered by the Anglo-Normans and became the Earldom of Desmond, ruled by the Fitzmaurices and FitzGeralds—the famous Irish family known as the Geraldines. The king of Desmond, Diarmaid Mac Cárthaigh submitted to Henry II of England, but the western half of Desmond lived on as a semi-independent Gaelic kingdom. It was often at war with the Anglo-Normans. Fínghin Mac Carthaigh's victory over the Anglo-Normans at the Battle of Callann (1261) helped preserve Desmond's independence. The kings of Desmond founded sites such as Blarney Castle, Ballycarbery Castle, Muckross Abbey and Kilcrea Friary. Following the Nine Years' War of the 1590s, Desmond became part of the Kingdom of Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blarney Castle</span> Medieval stronghold in Blarney, Ireland

Blarney Castle is a medieval stronghold in Blarney, near Cork, Ireland. Though earlier fortifications were built on the same spot, the current keep was built by the MacCarthy of Muskerry dynasty, a cadet branch of the Kings of Desmond, and dates from 1446. The Blarney Stone is among the machicolations of the castle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MacCarthy dynasty</span> Gaelic Irish dynasty

MacCarthy, also spelled Macarthy, McCarthy or McCarty, is an Irish clan originating from Munster, an area they ruled during the Middle Ages. It was divided into several septs (branches) of which the MacCarthy Reagh, MacCarthy of Muskerry, and MacCarthy of Duhallow were the most notable.

Donough MacCarthy, 4th Earl of Clancarty (1668–1734) fought for James II in the Williamite War in Ireland at the Siege of Derry. He was attainted in 1691 after the defeat. MacCarthy went into exile to the Netherlands, where he lived for some time on the tiny island of Rottumeroog, and in Germany near Hamburg where he died.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donough MacCarty, 1st Earl of Clancarty</span> Irish soldier and politician (1594–1665)

Sir Donough MacCarty, 1st Earl of Clancarty (1594–1665), was an Irish soldier, and politician. He succeeded his father as 2nd Viscount Muskerry in 1641. He rebelled against the government, demanding religious freedom as a Catholic and defending the rights of the Gaelic nobility in the Irish Catholic Confederation. Later, he supported the King against his Parliamentarian enemies during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles MacCarty, Viscount Muskerry</span> Irish soldier (died 1665)

Charles MacCarty, Viscount Muskerry, called Cormac in Irish, commanded a royalist battalion at the Battle of the Dunes during the interregnum. He was heir apparent to Donough MacCarty, 1st Earl of Clancarty but was killed at the age of 31 at the Battle of Lowestoft, a sea-fight against the Dutch, during the Second Anglo-Dutch War, and thus never succeeded to the earldom. He was buried in Westminster Abbey.

David Fitz-James de Barry, 18th Baron Barry, 5th Viscount Buttevant (1550–1617), sided initially with fitz Maurice, the rebel, in the 1st Desmond rebellion but changed sides and fought against the rebels. He also fought for the crown in the Nine Years' War.

Cormac Laidir MacCarthy, 9th Lord of Muskerry (1411–1494), was an Irish chieftain. He founded Kilcrea Friary and built Kilcrea Castle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin McCarthy, Viscount Mountcashel</span> Irish Jacobite died 1694()

Justin McCarthy, 1st Viscount Mountcashel, PC (Ire), was a Jacobite general in the Williamite War in Ireland and a personal friend of James II. He commanded Irish Army troops during the conflict, enjoying initial success when he seized Bandon in County Cork in 1689. However, he was defeated and captured at the Battle of Newtownbutler later in the same year. He escaped and was accused of having broken parole. After the end of the war, he led an Irish Brigade overseas for service in the French Army. He died in French exile.

Sir Valentine Browne, 1st Viscount Kenmare and 3rd Baronet Browne of Molahiffe (1638–1694), was an Irish Jacobite who fought for James II of England in the Williamite War in Ireland.

Cormac na Haoine MacCarthy Reagh, 13th Prince of Carbery (1490–1567) was an Irish chieftain who owned almost half a million acres in south west Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Callaghan MacCarty, 3rd Earl of Clancarty</span> French seminarian and Irish earl (died 1676)

Callaghan MacCarty, 3rd Earl of Clancarty was the second son of Donough MacCarty, 1st Earl of Clancarty. Callaghan was destined for a Catholic religious career and entered a seminary in France where his family was in exile during Cromwell's rule. When his elder brother died in the Battle of Lowestoft, and the 2nd Earl, his nephew, died in infancy, he unexpectedly left his religious institution, returned to Ireland, and assumed the title. He became a Protestant and married a Protestant wife. Late in life he converted back to Catholicism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macroom Castle</span> Castle in Macroom, County Cork, Ireland

Macroom Castle, in the centre of the town of Macroom, was once residence and fortress of the Lords of Muskerry. The castle has changed owners many times, has been besieged, burned, and rebuilt. The MacCarthys of Muskerry owned it with some interruptions from about 1353 when Muskerry was given to Dermot MacCarthy, 1st Lord of Muskerry, until 1691 when Donogh MacCarthy, 4th Earl of Clancarty lost it definitively.

Ulick Burke, 1st Viscount Galway was an Irish army officer slain at the Battle of Aughrim while fighting for the Jacobites during the Williamite War in Ireland.

Helen Burke, Countess Clanricarde, also styled Helen FitzGerald, was brought to France by her mother fleeing the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, against which her father, the 2nd Earl Muskerry, resisted to the bitter end. In France, she was educated at the abbey of Port-Royal-des-Champs together with her cousin Elizabeth Hamilton. She married three times. All her children were by her second husband, William Burke, 7th Earl of Clanricarde. She was the mother of Ulick Burke, 1st Viscount Galway, Margaret, Viscountess Iveagh, and Honora Sarsfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles MacCarthy, 1st Viscount Muskerry</span> Irish lord (died 1641)

Sir Charles MacCarthy, 1st Viscount of Muskerry, also called Cormac Oge, especially in Irish, was from a family of Irish chieftains but acquired a noble title under English law, becoming Viscount Muskerry instead of Lord of Muskerry. He sat in the House of Lords in both Irish parliaments of King Charles I. He opposed Strafford, the king's viceroy in Ireland, and in 1641 contributed to his demise by submitting grievances to the king in London. Muskerry died during this mission and was buried in Westminster Abbey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cormac MacDermot MacCarthy, 16th Lord of Muskerry</span> Irish lord (1552–1616)

Cormac MacDermot MacCarthy, 16th Lord of Muskerry (1552–1616) was an Irish magnate and soldier. He fought at the Siege of Kinsale during Tyrone's Rebellion.

Dermot MacCarthy (1310–1367) was the 1st Lord of Muskerry. He was an Irish magnate who owned extensive lands in central Munster. He was the first of the long line of the MacCarthy of Muskerry dynasty.

Donal MacCarthy Reagh of Kilbrittain was an Irish magnate who owned the extensive lands of Carbery in south-western County Cork.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cormac Laidir Oge MacCarthy, 10th Lord of Muskerry</span> Irish chieftain (1447–1536)

Cormac Oge Laidir MacCarthy, 10th Lord of Muskerry (1447–1536) was an Irish chieftain, styled Lord of Muskerry. In 1520 he defeated James FitzGerald, 10th Earl of Desmond in the battle of Mourne Abbey.