Mary Stuart O'Donnell
| Mary Stuart O'Donnell (Máire Stiúbhart Ní Dhomhnaill) |
|
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1607 London, England |
| Died | In or after 1639 |
| Spouse | Dualtach O'Gallagher (1630-1635) |
| Dynasty | O'Donnell |
| Father | Rory O'Donnell |
| Mother | Bridget FitzGerald |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Mary Stuart O'Donnell (Irish: Máire Stiúbhart Ní Dhomhnaill; 1607 - in or after 1639) was an Irish noblewoman.
Mary was the daughter of Rory O'Donnell, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell and Bridget, daughter of Henry FitzGerald, 12th Earl of Kildare. She was born in England after her father's flight (see Flight of the Earls), and the royal name "Stuart" was given to her by King James I. Her mother Bridget returned to Ireland with Mary in 1609, where they lived on the FitzGerald estates in Kildare until 1619, after which they were summoned to live in England. She was granted a generous dowry by the king and was placed into the care of her grandmother, Lady Kildare.
Mary lived in London for the next few years where Lady Kildare attempted to Anglicise the young girl and proposed to leave Mary her substantial inheritance and to provide a husband for her. Mary objected to the favoured suitor on the grounds that he was an Irishman who had converted to Protestantism; perhaps also because she had formed a previous attachment to Dualtach O'Gallagher. Much to the consternation of her mother's family, she increasingly associated with the young, disaffected Irish Catholics of London. In the summer of 1626, Mary and several friends broke into Gatehouse Prison and freed her half-brother Caffer "Con" O'Donnell and her first cousin, Hugh (Aedh) O'Rourke, who had recently been incarcerated for refusing to revoke their claims over planted land in Ireland. Following this incident her identity was compromised and she was ordered to appear before the royal court. She instead opted to flee London during the latter months of 1626. Dressed in male attire, and wearing a sword, she got clear of London, and after many wanderings arrived in Bristol. She was accompanied by a maid, Anne Baynham, similarly disguised, and by a young "gentilhomme son parent", who was most likely O'Gallagher.
...
Wikipedia