Aodh Óg Mac Mathúna

Aodh Óg Mac Mathúna [ ˈeɪ oːg mək ˈmahuːnə ] (older Irish orthography Aodh Óg Mac Mathghamhna , anglicized Hugh Oge MacMahon , * around 1606 in what is now County Monaghan ; † November 22, 1644 in Tyburn near London ) was a participant in the Irish Rebellion of 1641 .

family

Mac Mathúna was the second son of Brian Mac Aoidh Óig Mac Mathúna (Sir Brian MacHugh Oge MacMahon, † 1620), the Lord of Dartraí (English Dartree ) in the later County Monaghan , and Máire Ní Néill, a daughter of Aodh Mór Ó Néill . He went to Spain and served as a lieutenant colonel in the Spanish army. He finally returned to Ireland in 1641, presumably to recruit recruits for Spanish services. He had inherited land in Conachadh (Conaghy) in Dartraí.

Preparations for the uprising

Dublin Castle

In 1641 preparations were made for an uprising because the Irish feared an imminent invasion of Ireland by anti-Catholic forces of the Long Parliament or Scottish Covenanters . Mac Mathúna took part in the preparation of the uprising and, as an experienced soldier, should achieve the capture of Dublin Castle as the start of the uprising, together with Conchobhar Mag Uidhir (Connor Maguire), who had local knowledge and connections in Dublin . The participants met in Oxmantown near Dublin. A friend of Mac Mathúna, Eoghan Ó Conghalaigh (Owen O'Connolly), was only there on October 22, 1641 in the plan to take the castle in a surprise attack the next morning.

Arrest and death

The gallows Tyburn Tree

Ó Conghalaigh, however, revealed the plan to Lords Justice Sir William Parsons and Sir John Borlase, who quickly took action to arrest Mac Mathúna and Mag Uidhir, which succeeded after some resistance on the morning of October 23rd. After Mac Mathúna initially denied any involvement, he then confessed enough to also blame others. They were initially held in Dublin for several months, then brought to the Tower of London by order of the English Parliament in June 1642 . They were transferred to Newgate Prison 11 months later . In October 1643, however, after the escape of another co-conspirator (John Reade), they were brought back to the Tower. A trial could not take place at first because it was difficult to get Irish witnesses. On August 17, 1644, Mag Uidhir and Mac Mathúna were able to flee with the help of Spanish priests. However, on September 19, they were arrested again. The trial against Mac Mathúna took place on November 18, 1644 at the Court of King's Bench under Judge William Prynne . Mac Mathúna was found guilty of high treason and executed in Tyburn on November 22, 1644 . Mag Uidhir was an Irish peer as Baron of Enniskillen , so that his conviction initially caused difficulties. However, there was precedent for Irish nobles to be treated as commoners in court in England , and so Mag Uidhir was executed in 1645.

Individual evidence

1. ^ ^{A b c} Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Article: MacMahon, Hugh Oge , accessed March 13, 2014
2. ^ ^{A b} Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, article: Maguire, Connor , accessed March 14, 2014