Jim's Irish Family Surnames - The Maguire Chiefs

                  Maguire Coat of Arms of Knight on Horse with Green Field
                  Jim's Irish Family Surnames
                  Maguire
                  The Chiefs of Maguire

                  The Three Crowns of Maguire


                  This history of the Maguire Princes is derived from the following three sources, "The Maguire Bulletin of Jan - May & Sept 1988", "Clan Maguire of Fermanagh" & "The Fermanagh Story" by Paedar Livingstone.

                              As mentioned before for over three centuries the Maguires would be, Kings, Princes, or Lords of Fermanagh. It is believed that the Maguires became Kings of Fermanagh by the agency of the O'Donnells. They are said to have been above average administrators bringing peace in Fermanagh while the rest of Ireland was in turmoil. They are even noted for having settled manners between fueding clans and other warring factions. The Maguires of Fermanagh were also well known for their philanthropy toword the Arts and the Church. They made regular pilgrimages to Rome and Santiago, Spain. In their devotion to the Church they introduced and supported new religious orders and dedicated many sons & daughters to its service.

                  [1]Donn Carrach Maguire (1264-1302) would be the first Chief Maguire, King of Fermanagh. The first mention of Maguire in the "Annals of Ulster" would come in 1302,

                  "Donn Maguire, King of Fermanagh, namely the first King of Fermanagh of the sons of Maguire, rested in Christ."

                  Donn probably came from the Aghalurcher parish. Donn earned the title of Ireland's most generous Lord. His main rival for the title was MacCarthy, Prince of Desmond, although both were great men in there own right the poets of the time seem to side with Donn Maguire as being the kindest between the two

                  "Donn Maguire is this man's name, Desmond is greater than his terrain. For kindness true Donn has twice his fame, though Desmond is greater than Donn's demesne."

                  Donn expanded his lands and laid the foundation of the Maguire dynasty, leaving the title of "The Maguire" established among the other ruling Chiefs of Ireland. According to Peadar Livingstone's "The Fermanagh Story" five hundered years after his death his ghost haunted the mountain of Benaghlin prophesying the deaths of the Maguires by throwing down boulders from the face of the mountain.
                  And following Donn the line of Chiefs is as follows
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                  [2]Flaherty (1302-1327)
                  Son of Donn
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                  [3]Rory an Einigh 'the Generous' (1327-1338)
                  Son of Flaherty.
                  ^
                  [4]Aodh(Hugh) I 'Ruadh' (1338-1363)
                  Another son of Flaherty and brother to Rory. The line of descent is probably through Aodh(Hugh) instead of reverting back to Rorys line as would be usual.
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                  [5]Philip na Tuaghe 'Battle axe' (1363-1395)
                  Philip was the warrior Maguire who established what is known today as Fermanagh. He used both land and water to lay claim to this territory. In his reign he is noted for defeating the O'Neills, the MacMahons of Monaghan and the O'Donnells from west Ulster. Because he was able to defeat the O'Donnells he gained complete control of the Erne. With the help of his allies the O'Rourkes and O'Reillys he defended against the incursion of the O'Connors of Roscommon driving them all the way back home. The warrior would know peace for the remaing 25 years of his reign and his white sailed vessels would dominate the Erne. On his death he is believed to have had control of around a million acres.
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                  [6]Thomas Mor 'The Black Gillie' I (1395-1430)
                  Thomas the Great was Philip's son so the Kingdom he inheirited was secure and prosperous. He made his Kingdom all the more secure by reducing the power of his sub-Chiefs. Among the Septs under the protection of Maguire there were the MacAuley/MacCawley, MacCaffrey, Betty, McCaugherty, MacCamly/Comley, O'Corrigan, MacCusker, Fitzpatrick of Fermanagh of the Maguires, Godfrey - MacGothraigh - MacCorry - McCurry - McGarry, MacLilly/MacAighile, MacManus, O'Mannis, Mayne an alias of Maguire, Weir, Guire and those that may or may not have had blood links but never the less were Septs under Maguire were O'Cassidy, O'Kennan, O'Hussey, O'Condron, O'Doonigan, O'Drum, MacEntaggart, MacEvinney/MacEvinney, Farmer, Feddis, MacGarrahan/Garraghan, Macllroy/McElroy, Gunn/MacElgunn, Leonard -Lineen - O'Luinin, O'Mulroony, O'Slavin/Slevin, & O'Tally. Thomas brother Hugh - his "Tanaiste" is said to have assisted Thomas by ruling half the Kingdom under his brother.
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                  Senior Lisnaskea Branch
                  [7]Tomas Og Maguire 7th Prince 1430-1471
                  It is at the time of Thomas the Younger that it was said that

                  "If any person be found in the County of Fermanagh not named Maguire then he must be a tourist"

                   For the Maguire Clan truly made Fermanah there own. But with more power comes more reason for dissension and Thomas' brothers Philip & Donall Ballagh contested for power in Fermanah wishing to usurp his authority. Things even became so bad that at one point in 1439 Thomas was imprisoned by Philip in Enniskillen Castle but he was finally released by an old friend Henry O'Neill. Donall Ballagh Maguire took over Enniskillen Castle from Thomas and two years later Philip took over control of the Castle from him eventually it would end up rivaling the Lisnaskea fort of Thomas. Luckly blood was thicker than water and the two sides never fought each other, in fact they often worked together for the greater good of Fermanagh. Philip died in 1470 one year after Thomas retired. Thomas died after a 41 year reign. After this point Fermanah would have a split leadership and later be ruled from both Thomas' line the Senior Lisnaskea branch and from Philips line the Junior or Cadet Enniskillen branch.
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                  Senior Lisnaskea branch
                  [8]Eamonn 8th Prince 1471-1484
                  Son of Thomas Og. After this most unluckiest of all Maguire Chiefs the Chieftainship would permanantly be split between the Senior Lisnaskea branch and the Junior branch. It took only 13 years of Plague, storms, minor wars, invasions, famine and poor rulership to end Eamonns reign. In 1483 both O'Neill and O'Donnell raided Maguire territory and havoc took over the whole of Fermanagh and in 1484 the final blow to this unlucky prince was when his own son Giolla Patrick was murdered. The Junior branch gave support to their own John the son of Philip and the Senior branch did not stand in the way, thus ended not only Eamonns reign but also the exclusive right of the Senior branch to rule as well as the end of any of Eammons sons inheiriting the leadership in Fermanagh, his brother would latter take over instead.

                  Junior Enniskillen branch
                  Pilib McThomas Mor & Brother Donall Ballagh

                  The sons of Thomas (Mor) the Great the 6th Prince & brothers to Thomas Og the 7th Prince. Uncles of Eammon the 8th Prince
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                  [9]Sean or John (I) 9th Prince 1484-1503 First Prince of Tempo
                  Son of Philp McThomas. Johns 19 year rule was marked with competence and justice. It is at this point that Enniskillen Castle completly overshadowed that of Lisnaskea. John would succeed in bringing a difficult but much needed peace to Fermanagh.
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                  Brian of Tempo (I)
                  Brother of Sean or John (I) above the 9th Prince

                  Senior Lisnaskea branch
                  [10]Conor Mor (I), 10th Prince 1503-1527
                  Conor the Great was the brother of Eamonn the unlucky 8th Prince above. He would rule 24 years.

                  Junior Enniskillen branch
                  Cuchonnaght of Tempo (I)
                  Most likley the son of John (I) 9th Prince
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                  [11]Cuchonnaght (I) (The Coarb) 11th Prince 1527-1537
                  Son of Cuchonnaght of Tempo (I). Durring a Clan dispute Cuchonnaght was killed, the only Maguire Prince to have been assasinated. He was first buried on Denenish Island, his remains were later removed to Donegal Abbey by the Friars Minor.

                  Senior Lisnaskea branch
                  [12]Giuolla Padraigh or Giolla Patrick 12th Prince 1537-1540
                  Son of Conor Mor the 10th Prince. This would be the last official Prince from the Senior branch. Giolla Patricks reign would be shaky & short lived because of the power of the Junior branch that had support from the O'Neills and the O'Donnells. Giolla would be deposed and John II of the Junior branch set up as Chief .

                  Junior Enniskillen branch
                  [13]Sean or John (II) 13th Prince 1540-1566
                  Son of Cuchonnaght the 11th Prince. After an invasion by O'Neill & O'Donnell John would be set up as Chief, this was considered an illegal act under Gaelic Law to place a Junior branch over the Senior branch all with the agency of the O'Neills. The Lisnaskea Maguires (Senior) never acknowledged the claims of the Enniskillen Maguires (Junior) so that they never enjoyed their title of "Maguire" without opposition.

                  In 1542 Conn O'Neill would renounce his title of O'Neill and place his Princedom of Tyrone in the hands of King Henry VIII of England, Henry in turn created him Earl of Tyrone and confirmed him in possession of all his lands by Letters Patent, most all Irish Chiefs would follow, among the Maguire allies to make submition to the English where the O'Reillys and MacMahons. John would accompany his father in law Conn O'Neill to London and be created an English Knight.

                  Ultimatly John too would be deposed and replaced but with someone form his own Junior line.
                  ^
                  Bryan of Tempo (II) died 1655
                  Brother of John II & Cuchonnacht II
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                  [14]Cuchonnacht (II) 14th Prince 1566-1589
                  Son of Cuchonnaght the 11th Prince and brother to John (II) the 13th Prince.Cucconacht II would prove to be a very able leader successfully manuvering between the English, the O'Neills and the O'Donnells.

                  Cucconacht would wait 50 years before accepting English suzerainty and make submition to Queen Elizabeth I of England. He successfully negotiated for complete religious freedom, to retain the native Irish government in Fermanagh under Gaelic Brehon Law, and all hereditary lands with a standing army.

                  Cucconacht would marry more than once, one of his wifes would be Margret O'Neill. In the "
                  Annals of the Four Masters" it says of him that

                  "He was truly a lord in his munificence towards the churches, ollaves (learned men of ancient Ireland), soldiers and servants, and a learned and studious adept in Latin and Irish"

                  Cucconacht would be the last Gaelic Prince from the Junior Maguire line to have peace with England.
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                  [15]Sir Aodh(Hugh) (II) 15th Prince 1589-1602
                  Son of Cucconacht the 14th Prince. The last and one of the greatest official Chieftains in family history was Sir Aodh (Hugh) II, Maguire, who led the Irish army to defeat the English, in 1598, at "The Battle of the Yellow Ford" one of the last true victories the Irish would see in its struggle with the English of the time. The battle was fought in hope of ending the incursion of the English & the "Ulster-Plantation" or colonization in Ireland which was contrary to all previous agreements with England. This incursion would lead to the latter Cromwillian and Williamite Confiscations where lands, property and life would be taken without even a pretense. Unfortunately this rising was not meant to be, in 1603 Sir Red Hugh who was at the head of King O'Neil's calvary, on the way to battle the English at Cork, intercepted Sir Warham Sentleger (St. Leger) quite by accident, the two great warriors fought and Hugh dispatched Sir Warham Sentleger. The wounds of the battle would eventualy prove to be fatal to Hugh and a few hours later he would die. Of Hugh Maguire the "Annals of the Four Masters" say

                  "The death of Maguire was a cause of profound sorrow and severe affliction to O'Neill and the Irish Chiefs in general and that was not to be wondered at for he was a pillar of battle and conflict, the shield of protection and deliverance, a tower of defiance and fortitude, the mainstay of hospitality and generosity".

                  Ultimately the English defeated the Irish at the battle of Kinsale. This was the beginning of the end of the Gaelic Order, the time the Anglo-Norman influence took a more complete hold on Ireland.

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                  [?]Cuchonnacht (III) 1602-1608 (Unofficial 16th Prince)
                  Son of Cucconacht the 14th Prince and half brother to Hugh (II) the 15th and last official Prince of Fermanagh. Cuchonnacht would be instrumental in the "Flight of the Earls" although he was never inaugurated by the Clan of Maguire he was the last recognised as heir to the Chieftainship of Fermanagh after the death of his half brother Hugh II supported by Owen Roe O'Donnell. But there were two claimants to the title of "Maguire", his claim being disputed by Roe Maguire , grandson of Connor Mor of the Senior line supported by an O'Neill. Neather would be inaugurated as Chief of Fermanagh.

                  In 1607 in what is known as
                  "The Flight of the Earls" the Northern Chiefs, their families and retainers exiled themselves from Ireland. It was Cuchonnacht that obtained the ship and organized the exodus from Ireland for O'Neill and the other Northern Chiefs. Cuchonact Maguire would receive the last sacraments and die of a fever in Genoa on the 12th of August 1608. He was buried in the Franciscan Church of the Annuciation in Genoa. Cuchonnachts death would be the end of Gaelic rule by Maguire in Fermanagh. Maguire rule in Fermanagh would go on but under Gaelic Kings made English Lords.

                  Many Maguires fled to the European Continent, were along with other Irish nobles, their aristocratic lineage was recognized by European courts, French and Austrian, to name two. They found prominence in serving these courts in the "
                  Order of the Wild Geese", those noble Irish sons that served & died for foreign Lords instead of there beloved Ireland. They were accepted as noble until the title became extinct in about 1795.

                  Senior Lisnaskea branch
                  [?]
                  Conor Roe died 1625 (Unofficial 16th Prince)
                  Contested for the 16th Chieftainship supported by an O'Neill after
                  Hugh of the Junior line died. He was grandson to Conor the Great or Conor Mor.
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                  English Barons of Fermanagh Ireland after the end of the Gaelic Order
                  [1]Lord Brian Maguire 1st English Baron of Enniskillen d. 1633
                  Son of Conor Roe great-grandson of Conor the Great or Conor Mor of the Senior Line.
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                  [2]Lord Conor Rua, 2nd English Baron of Enniskillen.
                  Son of Lord Brian Maguire 1st English Baron of Enniskillen. Notorious for bungling plot by the remaining Gaelic nobles to take Dublin Castle. He was hanged at the Tower of London.
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                  Rory, d. 1648
                  Son of Lord Brian and brother of Conor Rua

                  ^
                  Thomas
                  Son of Lord Brian and brother of Conor Rua.
                  This line leads to Terrence
                  The Maguire of Fermanagh our present Chief.


                  To see this in a broader historical context an Irish historical time line should be consulted.


© 1997 by Jim Maguire for artwork & layout.