Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 41.djvu/416

 carried off a great spoil of cows from Leinster, and, in 1145, another from Breifne. In 1148 he plundered Teffia, but did not get away without fighting a battle before Athlone. Next year he could not prevent O'Brien from plundering Connaught, and had to give hostages to Muircheartach O'Lochlainn, king of Ailech, and thus again ceased to be Ardrigh. He consoled himself later in the year by a successful foray into Munster. Gillamacliag, primate of all Ireland, visited Connaught in 1151, and O'Connor gave him a gold ring weighing twenty ounces. Tadhg O'Brien fled to O'Connor, who invaded Munster in his interest, and subdued all but West Munster. He won a great victory over the Dal Cais at Moinmór, in which seven thousand Munstermen were slain, with sixty-nine chiefs, including the most important men of Clare, Muircheartach O'Brien and Standish O'Grady. O'Connor's loss was heavy, and Muircheartach O'Lochlainn crossed Assaroe and took hostages from him on his return home.

Next year O'Connor again invaded Munster with success, and it was on the march back, in alliance with the king of Leinster, that Dermot carried off Dearbhforgaill, wife of Tighearnan O'Ruairc, and sister-in-law of O'Connor, who carried her back in 1153. That year was occupied with a war with O'Lochlainn, in which the balance of success was against O'Connor. Maeleachlainn had died; but O'Lochlainn, who had a better title, prevented O'Connor by force of arms from becoming king of Ireland. In 1154 O'Connor sailed north, and attacked the coasts of Donegal, as far as Inishowen; but the northerns got ships from the western isles and from Man, and fought a battle off Inishowen, defeating the Connaughtmen and slaying O'Connor's admiral, Cosnamhaigh O'Dowd. O'Lochlainn then attacked Connaught, and marched safely home to Ailech, through Breifne. O'Connor attacked Meath, but lost his son Maelseachlainn, and carried off twenty cattle. He made a few small incursions in the following year into Meath. In 1156 he sailed to Lough Derg, and took hostages from O'Brien. This was the last of his many invasions of Munster, for he died soon after, and was buried by the altar of St. Ciaran at Clonmacnoise.

He left many cows and horses, as well as gold and silver, to the clergy, and is described in a chronicle as ‘King of Connaught, Meath, Breifne, and Munster, and of all Ireland, flood of the glory and splendour of Ireland, the Augustus of Western Europe, a man full of charity and mercy, hospitality and chivalry.’ He was twice married: first, to Tailltin, daughter of Murchadh O'Maeleachlainn, king of Ireland, who died in 1128; and, secondly, to Dearbhforgaill, daughter of Domhnall O'Lochlainn [q. v.], king of Ireland, who died in 1151. She was the mother of Aedh, Cathal (killed in 1152), Domhnall Midheach, and assumably of a second Cathal O'Connor [q. v.], called Crobhdhearg; and by his first wife he had Tadhg (who died in an epidemic in 1144), Conchobhar (slain in Meath), Roderic (who succeeded him and is noticed separately), Brian Breifnach, Brian Luighneach, and Muircheartach Muimhneach. He had a daughter, who married Murchadh O'Hara, and who, with her husband, was murdered in 1134 by Taichleach O'Hara. His chief poet was Ferdana O'Carthaigh, who was killed in a fight with Munster horsemen in 1131; and his chief judge was Gillananaemh O'Birn, who died in 1133. 

O'CONOR. [See also .]

O'CONOR, CHARLES (1710–1791), Irish antiquary, eldest son of Denis O'Conor, was born on 1 Jan. 1710 at Kilmactranny, co. Sligo. His mother was Mary, daughter of Tiernan O'Rourke, a colonel in the French service who was killed at the battle of Luzara in 1702. The confiscation of his paternal estate had reduced his father to such poverty that he had to plough with his own hands, and used to say in Irish to his sons, ‘Boys, you must not be impudent to the poor; I am the son of a gentleman, but ye are the children of a ploughman.’ The trustees of forfeited estates in 1703 restored part of his estate to Denis O'Conor, but he did not regain possession of this till 1720. Charles was taught to read and write Irish by a Franciscan of the convent of Crieveliagh, co. Sligo, who knew no English, and who began to teach him Latin on 30 Sept. 1718, and continued his education till 1724. His father moved to the restored family seat of Belanagare, co. Roscommon, and his brother-in-law, Bishop O'Rourke of Killala, formerly chaplain to Prince Eugène, thenceforward directed his education, instructed him in English and Latin literature, and urged him to cultivate Irish. He translated as an exercise the Miserere into Irish. The bishop was delighted with the version, and read it aloud. Torlogh O'Carolan [q. v.] the harper, a frequent guest at Belanagare, wept on hearing it, and, taking his harp, at once began to compose and sing his lay, ‘Donnchadh MacCathail oig,’ in which the fall of the Milesian