Sir Cahir O'Doherty was the last Gaelic Chief 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. After the war O'Doherty had ambitions to become a courtier and applied for a position in the household of Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, but he increasingly came into dispute with Irish-based officials such as the Viceroy Sir Arthur Chichester and the Governor of Derry Sir George Paulet. In 1608 he launched a rebellion, seizing Derry from Paulet and burning it to the ground. O'Doherty was subsequently killed in a battle at Kilmacrennan, and the rebellion swiftly collapsed.
McDevitt is an Irish surname, originating in County Donegal in the northwest part of Ireland. This family name is a member of the ancient Northern O’Néill group of clans who resided in the Ulster province of Ireland.
Events from the year 1608 in Ireland.
Sir George Paulet (1553–1608), also known as Pawlet or Powlet, was an English soldier, administrator, and governor of Derry who was killed by the followers of Sir Cahir O'Dogherty during O'Doherty's Rebellion. After his death, Paulet's command at Derry was burned to the ground by the rebels. Paulet was knighted in 1607.
O'Doherty's rebellion took place in 1608 when Sir Cahir O'Doherty, lord of Inishowen, began an uprising against the Crown authorities in the west of Ulster in the north-west of the Kingdom of Ireland. O'Doherty, a Gaelic chieftain, had been a long-standing supporter of the Crown, but having been angered at his treatment by local officials he launched an attack on Derry, burning the town. O'Doherty may have hoped to negotiate a settlement with the government, but, after his death in a skirmish at Kilmacrennan, the rebellion collapsed with the last survivors being besieged on Tory Island.
McKevitt is an Irish surname, found mainly in the northeastern area of Ireland. The family is a member of the ancient “Northern O’Néill” group of clans who resided in the Ulster province of Ireland.
Henry Docwra, 1st Baron Docwra of Culmore was a leading English-born soldier and statesman in early seventeenth-century Ireland. He is often called "the founder of Derry", due to his role in establishing the city.
The Battle of Kilmacrennan was a skirmish fought near Kilmacrennan, County Donegal in 1608 during O'Doherty's Rebellion. Sir Cahir O'Doherty was a traditional supporter of the Crown whose treatment at the hands of local officials had led him to launch a rebellion in which he had seized the garrison town of Derry, killing his enemy George Paulet. O'Doherty raised local forces and possibly hoped to negotiate an agreement with the government as had been common with leaders of previous rebellions.
The siege of Tory Island took place in 1608 during O'Doherty's Rebellion when some of the remaining rebels made a last stand against Crown forces on Tory Island off the northern coast of Ireland. Following their defeat at the Battle of Kilmacrennan, where their leader Sir Cahir O'Doherty had been killed, a group of survivors withdrew to Tory Island, pursued there by Sir Henry Folliott, the Governor of Ballyshannon. The rebels took shelter in the castle on the island but it became obvious they could not hold out for long.
The Burning of Derry took place on 19 April 1608 during O'Doherty's Rebellion when Sir Cahir O'Doherty led a force of rebels to storm Derry in Ulster. He launched his rebellion with an attack on the garrison town of Derry, which was taken thanks to the element of surprise. The town was then almost entirely destroyed by fire.
Sir Josias Bodley (1550-1618) was an English military engineer noted for his service in Ireland during the Nine Years' War. Following the end of the war he remained in Ireland where he oversaw the rebuilding of several major forts. In 1609 he was entrusted with the Bodley Survey which mapped out terrain for the Ulster Plantation.
Burt Castle is a ruined castle located close to Newtowncunningham and Burt, two villages in the east of County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland. Historically it was sometimes spelt as Birt Castle. It is also known by the name O'Doherty's Castle, and should not be mistaken for O'Doherty's Keep near Buncrana.
Henry Hart (1566-1637) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and landowner of the Elizabethan and early Stuart eras. He served in the Nine Years' War (1584-1603) and was later involved in the opening incident of O'Doherty's Rebellion in 1608. As a servitor he acquired an estate in County Donegal.
Patrick Crawford was a Scottish soldier who settled, and became a landowner, in Ireland.
Hugh Boy MacDavitt was a Gaelic Irish warrior from Inishowen. He was the brother of Phelim Reagh MacDavitt and the foster brother of Sir Cahir O'Doherty. Cahir had a strong claim to succeed as chief of the O'Doherty's, the dominant clan on Inishowen. Because of this he was captured by Red Hugh O'Donnell, who supported a rival candidate. The MacDavitt brothers succeeded in rescuing him. They had previously sided with the rebels during the Nine Years War, with Hugh Boy making a failed attempt to capture Culmore Fort. They now switched to support the Crown and allied themselves to Sir Henry Docwra, the English Governor of Derry.
Sir Ralph Bingley (c.1570–1627) was a Welsh soldier who served and settled in Ireland.
The Burning of Dungannon took place in June 1602 when Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, abandoned and set fire to Dungannon, the traditional capital of the O'Neills. It marked the beginning of the final stage of Tyrone's Rebellion when the Earl became a fugitive, before his sudden reprieve the following year.
Sir Turlough MacShane O'Neill was an Irish landowner. He was part of the powerful Gaelic O'Neill Dynasty of Ulster. He was a great grandson of Shane O'Neill, who had once been chief of the O'Neills before his death in 1567. Turlough's branch of the family had served on the Crown's side against their cousin Hugh, Earl of Tyrone, during Tyrone's Rebellion (1594-1603). They were rewarded with land around Kinnaird in County Tyrone.
Rosa O'Neill was a member of the O'Doherty family of County Donegal who lived during the late Tudor and Stuart eras.
Sir Richard Hansard was an English-born soldier who served and settled in Ireland during the Tudor and Stuart eras. He fought for the Crown during Tyrone's Rebellion, during which he was given command of the key town of Ballyshannon in County Donegal.
