O'Rourke (Ó Ruairc), Tighearnán Mór

by Emmett O'Byrne

O'Rourke (Ó Ruairc), Tighearnán Mór (d. 1418), son of Ualgharg O'Rourke (qv) (d. 1346), king of West Breifne, was one of the most powerful of the kings of West Breifne in medieval times. The first mention of Tighearnán comes in 1369 during a raid on the O'Muldoon lordship in south Donegal. It is clear that he enjoyed close relations with his king and brother, Tadhg O'Rourke (qv). It seems likely that Tadhg encouraged Tighearnán to prepare himself to assume the kingship on his death. And when Tadhg died (1376) the kingship was duly passed to Tighearnán. He was to prove no less ambitious than his brother and father, determining to make the O'Rourkes the dominant power in north-east Connacht; so much so that he frightened his neighbours. In order to achieve his ambition, he married Áine, daughter of the powerful Tomaltach MacDonagh. As with his father and brothers, the major threat to Tighearnán was that posed by the Clan Murtagh O'Connors. In 1380 they raided the O'Rourke kingdom but Tighearnán managed to drive them off. Other sources of opposition to this resurgence of the O'Rourkes came from the MacReynolds of north Leitrim, the O'Reilly kings of East Breifne, and the O'Donnells of Donegal. This was evidenced by the MacReynolds’ raids on the O'Rourkes in 1384, and by Tighearnán's offensive with MacDonagh help against the MacDermotts of Magh Luirg in the following year. After the death of his wife (1386), Tighearnán gradually fell out with his MacDonagh allies and went to war with them in 1388. Others were determined to brake his ambition. That year Domhnall O'Connor (qv) of Sligo came to the aid of the MacDonaghs and fought off Tighearnán. An uneasy peace was concluded in 1389, but Tighearnán's neighbours watched him anxiously. In early 1390 Tomás O'Reilly (qv), king of East Breifne, decided to move against Tighearnán. With the O'Connors of Sligo, the O'Farrells, the MacReynoldses, and the MacTiernans in tow, the O'Reilly leader attacked the O'Rourkes. Surrounded on all sides, Tighearnán displayed a pragmatic side by suing for peace and accepted Tomás's overlordship, giving him his son as a hostage. In return the O'Reillys expelled the O'Rourke exiles living in their lands. After the death of Tomás that autumn, Tighearnán continued to respect the peace, engaging in talks during 1391 with Seoán O'Reilly (qv), Tomás's successor. Moreover, Tighearnán in 1403 intervened to protect the kingship of Seoán's young son Eóghan O'Reilly (qv). To seal the deal, he gave Eóghan the hand of his daughter Barrdub (d. 1431). Try as he might, Tighearnán was unable to reclaim the kingship of Eóghan from the clutches of Maolmórdha O'Reilly (qv) (d. 1411). This failure ensured that Eóghan probably remained in exile in the kingdom of Tighearnán. In his closing years Tighearnán continued his turbulent career, fighting the MacDonaghs and the O'Donnells in 1403 and 1409 respectively. However, he never showed any signs of abdicating his kingship. Indeed, his longevity was such that his son Tighearnán Óg O'Rourke (c.1349–1412) died at the age of 63 in 1412 without ever becoming king. Age seems to have finally caught up on this long-lived king in his last years, as the O'Rourkes were generally at peace. In 1418 Tighearnán died and was buried at Sligo abbey beside his wife. He was succeeded by his son Aodh Buidhe O'Rourke.