The O'Malley clan ruled Umhall or the area around Clew Bay. With the coming of the Normans the Butlers laid claim to the area to be replaced in time , by the Bourkes who had divided into two septs, the Mac William Iochtar and Mac William Uachtar. The first of these claimed Burrishoole which included Achill. The Butlers regained the title under the Composition of Connacht, and the Duke of Ormond leased a large section of Burrishoole estate , including Achill , to Richard Martin of Dublin and Anthony Lord Bishop of Meath for ninety nine years in 1641. The lease did not run its full term and the Earl of Arran granted the estate to Sir H. Bingham, with provision for it to pass in reversion to Thomas John Medlycott, Commissioner of Revenue for Mayo and former Deputy Steward of Westminster under the Duke of Ormond. 1

Portrait of Hugh O'Donel

The O'Donels were the lineal descendants of Niall Garbh O'Donel , cousin of Red Hugh O'Donel , who regarded Tir Chonaill as his inheritance and was bitterly disappointed when the Crown bestowed it upon Earl Rory. However he had himself made chief in 1602 on the death of Red Hugh He was lodged in The Tower of London after being arrested and held prisoner, without trial for implications in the Cahir O'Doherty Rising of 1608, until his death in 1625.

His son Manus, a colonel in the army of Owen Roe O'Neill was killed at the Battle of Benburb in 1646 .

The Cromwellian campaign resulted in wholesale clearances of the native population in Donegal and following the defeat of the Irish at Svarrifhollis, outside Letterkenny in June, 1650,it is believed that Manus's son "Rory of Lifford", and many others, were transplanted to the Ballycroy district of Mayo, around 1654.

Rory's son Manus (Colonel Maney ) fought at Limerick in 1691 in the army of King James . He is the first of the O'Donels who is mentioned as of Newport Co. Mayo although his first residence was at Rosturk . He died in 1736 .

Manus had three sons , Charles Roe , the eldest , Manus and Hugh the youngest .

Charles Roe, was married to Catherine, daughter of James O'More in 1712. Of that union there were three sons and two daughters. Manus, the eldest, born 1713, became Major General of the Austrian Empire.

He returned later in life and married, on the 8/12/1780, Margaret, daughter of Henry Browne, of Castlemacgarrett. They had one daughter, who married Robert Gage Rookwood, son of Thomas Gage of Suffolk.

Manus died in 1793, aged 80 years. He was, as all that family were, buried in Straide .

Elizabeth O'Donnell married Thomas Cormack of Mullinamore and Castlehill.

Mary, the second daughter of Charles Roe married Darcy of Galway.

Lewis, third son of Charles Roe, of Killeen, born 1715 (died 1822), Captain in the Austrian Army, returned to Killeen, married Bridget, daughter of Randal McDonnell of Massbrook , they had three sons and two daughters. The sons were, Charles, who died unmarried, aged 19 years. The second son, Manus became a Captain in the British Service and died of his wounds. There is no record of his marriage but it is to be presumed that he did. The third son, Lewis, of Ross, Killala, was married in 1821 to Judith Bourke of Ballina. He died and was buried in Ostend in 1841.

Bessy married Daniel Kelly of Kellygrove, in the parish of Clontuskert, Barony of Cloonmacrowen, Co. of Galway. Mary was married to Edward Bourke of Mayo and finally Bridget married Edward Bolinbroke of Old Castle, Meelick, Co. of Mayo.

Lewis O'Donnell of Ross who was married to Judith Bourke had issue, one son and three daughters.

Charles, b 27/11/1823, was Lieutenant in the Connaught Rangers. Had Errew and sold part of it to Granville Knox, on which he built a mansion and never lived in it.

The first daughter, Jane Louise had the estate of Killeen and Cabra around 1850. 1 do not think she married and there is no record of the other two sisters, Mary Baptiste or Judith. 6

Hugh lived at Melcombe near Newport . Melcombe is a placename imported by the Binghams , whose English home was Melcombe Bingham in Dorsetshire . Hugh gave £10 for the erection of a Catholic church in Newport and died in 1762 .He also built Newport House. He had a number of sons. The eldest, Hugh og, was unmarried. The next, Francis, left an only son, Hugh, who died in the East India Company's Service. The third was Neal

Neal became a Protestant a year after his father's death in 1763 and his uncle Manus followed his example in 1766 . 4

Neal O'Donel held title to Kildavnet and Achill Beg in 1776 .In 1780 he purchased the fine estate of Cong and 3 years later he was able to purchase the Burishoole estate, from John Thomas Medlycott for £33,958 in opposition to John 3rd Earl of Altamont afterwards first Marquis of Sligo.

In 1752 the Medlicott estate yielded only £1700 but in 1800 Sir Neal's income was £8000 a year.

The source of his wealth was derived from the honourable occupation of smuggling, then prevalent on the west coast of Ireland. Sir Neal was a shipowner and traded as far south as Cadiz, Spain. Revenue officials seized several hogsheads of wine from his Melcomb premises in 1790. He retaliated by suing the Crown for trespass and the breaking open of doors, etc. After protracted court proceedings he was awarded £1,500 damages and costs. 5

Neal O'Donel had of course changed his religion , and was now Protestant and therefore not subject to the penal laws. 1 However he sent his children to be fostered in the homes of his tenants as he had been fostered in Ballycroy and his grandson Richard was fostered by the O'Donnell family of Rossmore .

Sir Neal devoted great attention to horse breeding and when in 1776 his kinsman John 1st Earl Altamont died, he purchased the Earl's horse stud, at the time the second most important in the kingdom. The Freeman's Journal of 15th Jan 1811 recording the death of Sir Neal says he never bought or trained a horse that did not pay for himself in the first year in Plates , a proof of no common penetration.

The baronet had married Mary, daughter of William Coane of Ballyshannon and had a numerous family. Their eldest son, Hugh, was Lieutenant Colonel of the South Mayo Militia and Colonel of the 100th Regiment of the Line.

Sir Neal O'Donel and his sons were not at Newport House when the French landed at Killala and the French Officer Boudet was in possession of Newport. Sir Neal O'Donel was at Athlone and his four sons were serving with their regiments.

Colonel Hugh O'Donel and Captain James Moore O'Donel were MPs in Grattan's Parliament. Hugh was Burgess for Donegal Borough and James Moore for Rathoath Borough, County Meath. The O'Donels were the first members of their family to seek Parliamentary honours and entered parliament with the set purpose of offering a persistent and determined opposition to the forcing the Act of Union through Parliament .They voted against the Union in 1799 and 1800 with the observations in the proceedings.

No 98 Colonel Hugh O'Donel , a most ardent antiunionist dismissed from his regiment of Mayo Militia.

No 99 Captain James Moore O'Donel killed by Mr Bingham in a duel.

Newport House Ad

Of those who voted for Union were the two members elected for Mayo.

No 16 Right Hon D. Brown , brother to Lord Sligo.

No 82 Colonel G. Jackson "A " Regiment.

also

No 8 one of the Binghams , created a peer , got £8,000 for two seats and £15,000 compensation for Tuam. This gentleman first offered himself for sale to the anti unionists and then became Lord Clanmorris.

In the debate on union at the opening session of Parliament in 1779 Colonel Hugh O'Donel stated " There is no person in or out of this House who can be more anxious for supporting the closest connection between England and Ireland than I have been or ever shall . I have fought to preserve it from being interrupted by external and internal foes ; but should the legislative independence of Ireland be voted away by a Parliament which is not competent therewith I shall hold myself discharged of my allegiance and I will join the people in preserving their rights . I will oppose the rebels in rich clothes as I have ever done the rebels in rags .If my opposition to it in this house shall not be successful I will oppose it in the

field ."

In Oct 1799 when Colonel Hugh O'Donel died he had been offered an Earldom (Earl of Achill ) and a large sum of money for his support of the Union but he died as he had lived - an Irish gentleman. 3

The Court-martial of Captain James Moore O'Donel and Lieutenant Connel O'Donel .

The record of Proceedings of a Court-martial held at Castlebar on charges made by the Reverend John Benton , Protestant Chaplain to the South Mayo Militia and others against Captain James Moore O'Donel M.P. in Grattan's Parliament and his brother Lieutenant Connel O'Donel .

Evidence was given that Captain James Moore O'Donel stepped forward at Castlebar as advocate to two known rebels , Crump and Gibbons and also backed another rebel Denis McGuire and that several known rebels were serving as members of the Newport Cavalry and Infantry . Another rebel James Kelly had encouraged support for the United Irishmen but still remained a member of the Infantry Corps . Lieutenant Connel O'Donel was asked to ensure that Kelly would appear before the local court on charges of sedition but in the meanwhile Kelly absconded. The court met at Castlebar on Monday 1st December 1800 and members of the court were Major Wetherington of the 9th Dragoons President, Major Graham of the Royal Meath Militia and Major Frazer of the Frazer Fencibles .

Reverend Benton stated that in 1798 Newport Pratt was considered to be the sink of rebellion but it appeared that neither Captain O'Donel , who was a magistrate and a yeoman officer nor any of his family came forward as loyal men or prosecuted to conviction one rebel leader.

The Tree of Liberty was planted in the town by a yeoman of the name of Gibbons who was convicted on the clearest testimony but escaped from prison. Captain O'Donel found in the house of Gibbons a hat decorated with a profusion of green ribbon , the emblem of disloyalty and found among his papers sufficient evidence to hang him but did not produce this at the trial of Gibbons or give evidence himself.

Captain O'Donel met the Lord Lieutenant in Athlone and told him that the French were in possession of the town of Tuam knowing this not to be true. This delayed the progress of the King's troops for one whole day.

Another charge against Captain O'Donel was that a rebel called James Gordon was heard to say by John Wallis and Richard Davis that Captain O'Donel had spent the six weeks before the French landed at Killala going from one corps of United Irishmen to the next telling them that they would soon be relieved.

Joseph Kenning of Newport, a yeoman and an Orangeman was sent for by Sir Neal O'Donel and asked was he an Orangeman. Anthony Wilkes swore that Lieutenant Connel O'Donel called the yeoman off parade into the market house and asked them to separately swear they were not Orangemen , which Kenning refused to do . Lieutenant O'Donel had rushed at James Wilks with a drawn sword for playing ' The Protestant Boys ' and swore the tune should never be played in Newport.

The court also heard that Lieutenant O'Donel frequently on parade read letters from Captain James Moore O'Donel wherein the Captain boasted that in Parliament he was pulling down the Orange badges.

The court decided after hearing the evidence that Dr Benton had failed to prove the allegations and that Captain James Moore O'Donel and Lieutenant Connel O'Donel had fully exculpated themselves from any imputation of disloyalty or want of zeal in their duty as magistrates and officers . 3

After the defeat of the '98 insurgents James Moore O'Donel arrested scores of rebels and then when they came up for trial went to extraordinary lengths to defend them from the gallows. He was killed in a duel at the hands of Major Denis Bingham on 14th September 1806 at Killanley Glebe near Enniscrone in County Sligo . A tradition says that he was lame and had the sight of only one eye. He is supposed to have been placed with his back to the sea, so that he was silhouetted against the horizon. The same source alleges that his opponent had been instructed by his second to fire before word was given. This he did scoring a direct hit to the heart. Bingham himself was unhurt.5

The inscription on his memorial tablet in Newport Protestant Church reads "In arduous times he proved his loyalty to his King , in corrupt times he supported the independence of his country and as he lived a Man of Honours so he died a Man of Courage in the 36th year of his age ."

Neal Beg O'Donel fought at Ballinamuck under Cornwallis as Captain in the Louth Militia .He had two sons and a daughter Mary, who became a Catholic nun ,Sr. Mary de Piazzi O'Donel at the Presentation Convent in Galway on 5th February 1829 and died on 12th November 1864 .Neil Beg succeeded his father Sir Neal and was also known as Sir Neal . He in turn was succeeded by his son Hugh James Moore . Hugh's reign was short as he met his death in a shooting accident at Newport House. He was succeeded by his brother Richard who became Sir Richard.

Sir Richard married Mary , the daughter of George Glendenning and fixed the dowry as her weight in gold , which she improved by concealing two smoothing irons in her dress when she was weighed . Sir Richard was forced to sell his estate in Cong due to it being heavily mortgaged and parts of the Burrishoole estate to settle his debts . He was deeply religious and became a member of the Darbyites , who were founded in Dublin by John Nelson Darby, a Dublin lawyer who became a Protestant clergyman . He is regarded as the founder of the Plymouth Brethren. Sir Richard built a church or conventicle for his sect . This building is now the Parochial Hall.

Although Sir Neal and Neal beg had given £300 and £100 respectively to building a Catholic church , Sir Richard seems to be anti Catholic and evicted many of his Catholic tenants and together with Reverend Nangle in Achill set up colonies. After the famine, Sir Richard sold Achill, as part of an encumbered Estate 1. Half was sold to English capitalists led by Mr Ashworth and including Mr William Pike and Mr Wyndham. The other portion was sold to the Protestant Mission in the island, led by Reverend Nangle

Pádraig Ó Móráin in his book Annála Beaga Pharáiste Bhuiréis Umhaill states 'Sir Richard did his best to try and ' convert the poor papists to the light of the Gospel '. he helped the good work by evicting every Catholic family he could . His policy was extermination . But when all this was over the only family exterminated was his own . The broad acres that were once Sir Richard's are now owned and occupied by Catholic families many of whom are descendants of those whom he cruelly cast out to die on the roadside or in the workhouse . Of the O'Donel's nothing remains but the bones that are mouldering in the family vaults. '4

His successor Sir George appeared not to be interested in religion. He married a Catholic , Mary Kirwan who remained a Catholic until her death and it was due to her that the Sisters of Mercy secured the site for the Convent on Barrack Hill which is now owned by Western Care. She also donated two fine stained glass windows that were in the Convent chapel but are now in the Parish church. George died childless in 1889, his heir being his niece, Millicent Agnes, daughter of his brother, Richard Alexander, who had predeceased him. The estate had been heavily encumbered with charges and mortgages from the beginning. The burden had been somewhat eased by the sale of the Cong lands, comprising some 7,770 acres, to Sir Benjamin Guinness in 1856. It was he who built the grandiose residence now known as Ashford Castle Hotel, Cong. What Millicent Agnes received was only a small fraction of her extensive possessions of her great-great grandfather, the first Sir Neal. She married Edwin Thomas, who changed his name by deed-poll to "O'Donel". They had an only child, George O'Donel Frederick Thomas O'Donel, a Captain in the British Army, who was killed in action in France, 16th June, 1915. He was married but had no family.5

Edwin Thomas O'Donel died 25th August, 1932, and Millicent Agnes herself on 15th October of the following year. She left the little she possessed to her daughter-in-law, who sold Newport House to Mr Michael McShane who in turn sold it to Mr Mumford Smith who established Newport House Hotel. His son's widow sold the hotel to the present owners Mr & Mrs. Kieron Thompson.

The Cathach of Saint Colmcille.

The O'Donel's possessed an ancient manuscript, a copy of the scriptures called the Cathach of Saint Colmcille. The book was copied by St. Columcille from a book of the Psalms belonging to St. Finian on a visit to his monastery on the shores of Strangford Lough . A dispute arose between the two saints as to the ownership of the copy which was the subject of the famous copyright case of long ago in which the decision "to every cow its calf and to every book its copy" was given by Diarmuid, the High King of Ireland. Colmcille decided to go into exile in Iona rather than comply with this ruling and vowed never to set foot on Irish soil or see Ireland , which he got around following several visits back to Ireland by placing soil from Iona in his shoes and wearing a blindfold.

The cathach was used at the inauguration of the new chief of the O'Donnell clan and the custom was to have it borne thrice around the army of Tyrconnell on the breast of a sinless cleric; then, if the fight was in a just cause, it was believed that St. Columcille would come to the assistance of his kinsmen and victory was assured.

Brigadier Daniel O'Donal of the Ramelton Branch, whose regiment fought at both the Boyne and Aughrim, took the Cathach, or Battle Book of the O'Donals, with him to France, to which he repaired under the Treaty of Limerick. Daniel was worried that the shrine was showing signs of wear and tear. To save it from further deterioration he had a rim case into which it could fit made and deposited the relic in a Continental monastery, to be claimed by whosoever should prove himself the Head of the O'Donnells. It lay unknown and forgotten for almost a century until Sir Neal of Newport chanced to hear of it. Some say that it was Fr. Prendergast, the last Abbot of Cong, who had been abroad, told him.

In any case, fortified by the spurious pedigree, prepared by Sr. William Betham, showing him as senior of his race which he was not - that honour rested with Lewis of Killeen , who lived to 106 years - made a successful claim and so had the sacred heirloom brought back to Ireland.5

The Cathach had been handed to the Royal Irish Academy by Sir Richard O'Donel for its safe keeping and remained enclosed in its cumlach or case until 1920 , when it along with some other valuable manuscripts was sent, after permission was given by Mrs. Thomas O'Donel, to the British Museum to be enclosed in the best possible binding obtainable. The leaves of the manuscript were permanently sealed by inserting each leaf in a frame of strong paper . The book was then rebound in its cover and would then fit in its shrine as well as it did prior to restoration .2

Tradition still tells us of the harmony and friendship that existed between Sir Neal O'Donel and his tenants and also of his practical sympathy and support towards the Catholic Church and it was remarked that Newport House was a haven of refuge for persecuted priests who suffered and were prescibed under the Penal Laws. 3

The part taken by Colonel Hugh O'Donel M.P. and his brother Captain James Moore O'Donel in their vigourous fight against the Act of Union , by spurning every form of bribe,'honours' , and base corruption , stamps them as ardent,sincere and pure souled Irishmen and worthy compatriots of Ball, Barrington, Burke, Fitzgerald, Grattan , Egan, the Parnells , Plunket and Foster, all noble Protestants but true Irishmen all. 3

Sources:

1 Curranne Mountain Mayo in the 1850s A Socioeconomic Study.

Padraig G. Lane . Cathair na Mart (1992), p75.

2 Proceedings Royal Irish Academy Vol XXXIII Section C No 11

Dr Lawlor.

3 Padraic O'Domhnaill , County Councillor in Mayo News 1930 (?)

4 Pádraig Ó Móráin Annála Beaga Pharáiste Bhuiréis Umhaill.

5 Rubert S. O Cochlain The O'Donnells of Mayo . North Mayo Historical Journal (1990) p 67 - 81.

6 Tony Donohue , O'Donnells of Newport and Kileen. North Mayo Historical Journal (1992) p 74 - 75.