Tadhg O'Rourke
| Teigue O'Rourke (Tadhg Ó Ruairc) |
|
|---|---|
| King (Lord) of West Breifne | |
| Reign | 25 April 1603 - 1605 |
| Predecessor | Brian Oge O'Rourke |
| Successor | Title abolished |
| Born | 1576 West Breifne, Ireland |
| Died | 1605 (aged 28) West Breifne, Ireland |
| Burial | Carrickpatrick Monastery, Mayo |
| Consort | Mary O'Donnell (d. 1662) |
| Issue | Brian O'Rourke Aedh O'Rourke |
| House | O'Rourkes of Dromahair |
| Father | Brian O'Rourke |
| Mother | Mary Burke |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Teigue O'Rourke (Irish: Tadhg Ó Ruairc) (1576 - 1605) was the last king of West Breifne from 1603 until his death in 1605. He was the son of Brian O'Rourke and Mary Burke of Clanricarde. Raised by his mother in County Galway, he lived most of his life in exile from his kingdom, looking for allies to support his claim as king of West Breifne in opposition to his half-brother Brian Oge O'Rourke. Having initially supported the Irish alliance during the Nine Years' War, he switched allegiance to England following the Battle of Kinsale in 1602. With the support of English forces he invaded West Breifne in 1603, ousting his half-brother and ruling as king until his unexpected death in late 1605 at the age of 28.
O'Rourke was born in 1576. Shortly after this he was separated from his father and was raised in Galway by his mother and her family, the Burkes of Clanricarde. Under English law, O'Rourke was the legitimate heir to the kingship of West Breifne and, as a son of a wealthy pro-English family, was favoured by the crown government in Dublin from the outset to inherit his father's title. However, his father's chosen successor was his "illegitimate" half-brother Brian Oge O'Rourke, who was nine years his elder and lived with Sir Brian in Leitrim. Teigue's inheritance was thrown into further doubt when Lord President Richard Bingham, who effectively wanted to end the O'Rourke dynasty, occupied West Breifne in 1590 and ousted Sir Brian, who was executed for treason at Tyburn the following year.
By 1593 Bingham had been pushed back out of West Breifne by Brian Oge. Teigue moved to Tyrconnell at the outbreak of the Nine Years' War in 1594 and, despite his brother fighting alongside Hugh Roe O'Donnell and Hugh O'Neill as an ally, Teigue continued to petition them to support his claim as king. Although there is no evidence to suggest they ever seriously considered his proposals, he was useful to the Ulster lords as a threat with which to keep Brian Oge in line. Teigue's claim was such a concern to Brian Oge that he briefly switched allegiance to England from February to June 1598 when he received written English support for his claim from Governor Conyers Clifford. However, as Teigue's hugely influential family continued to push his claim, gaining backers like Lord Treasurer Thomas Butler, Brian Oge switched back to the Irish alliance believing the English assurances to be disingenuous.
...
Wikipedia