Fearghal Ó Gadhra

Fearghal Ó Gadhra, lord of Coolavin, patron of the Annals of the Four Masters, c. 1597 – after 1660.

Ó Gadhra was the son of Tadhg mac Oilill Ó Gadhra of Coolavin, located in what is now south County Sligo. The family were ancient proprietors in Connacht; Geoffrey Keating gives their ancestry as follows:

"Tadhg son of Cian, son of Oilill Olom, had two sons, namely, Connla and Cormac Gaileang. From Iomchaidh son of Connla comes O Cearbhaill, and from Fionnachta son of Connla comes O Meachair. From Cormac Gaileang son of Tadhg, son of Cian, comes O Eadhra and O Gadhra and O Conchubhair Ciannachta. The following are the territories they acquired, namely: Gaileanga, east and west; Ciannachta, south and north; Luighne, east and west."

In the 12th century the Ó Gadhras were Kings of Sliabh Lugha, anciently referred to as Gailenga. The O'Hara's retained the name Luighne for their territory to the north. The O'Garas were expelled into Coolavin, Co. Sligo by the Mac Jordan of Connacht.

Sir Theobald Dillon was among a number of Anglo-Irish who acquired property in Luighne in the late 16th century. He was awarded the wardship of Ó Gadhra, which enabled the latter to attend Trinity College Dublin from the between 1609 and 1616, though there is no documentary evidence that he studied there. Despite his father's rebellion in 1589, Fearghal inherited most of his estate, thanks to the protection of Dillon, and in the 1630s was one of the wealthiest Catholic landowners in the county. In 1634 he became MP for Sligo. He married Isobel Taffe, daughter of Sir John, Viscount Corran, who was married to a daughter of Sir Theobald Dillon. Though Dillon was Protestant, Ó Gadhra and his immediate family appear to have remained committed Catholics.

Fearghal and Isobel had sons, Cian and John. A descendant, Oliver O'Hara, served in the army of James II during the Williamite War in Ireland.

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