Felim O'Connor (d. 1265)

Felim Ua Conchobair
13th-century effigy of a tomb in the Dominican Priory of St. Mary in Roscommon that supposedly depicts Felim Ua Conchobair who founded the priory in 1253.[1][2]
King of Connacht
Reign1233-1265
PredecessorAedh mac Ruaidri Ó Conchobair
SuccessorAedh mac Felim Ó Conchobair
Born?
Connacht, Ireland
DiedEarly 1265
Connacht, Ireland
Burial
Tulsk Abbey, County Roscommon
ConsortIdentity Unknown
Issue
HouseÓ Conchubhair Donn
FatherCathal, King of Connacht

Felim O'Connor (Irish: Feidlim Ua Conchobair) was king of Connacht in Ireland, having been proclaimed king by Richard Mór de Burgh in 1230, he reigned proper from 1233 until 1265. Felim died in that year and was buried in the Dominican Priory (present-day Roscommon Abbey) in Roscommon which he founded in 1253.[3] On his accession Felim inherited many problems from his predecessors, having his territory limited to essentially County Roscommon and having to deal with an increase of English and Welsh settlers in the kingdom.[4] Felim attempted to maintain both a loyal and personal relationship with Henry III King of England, hoping he would limit the influence of de Burgh and other powerful Anglo-Norman magnates in Connacht, but this policy of appeasement produced few concrete results.[5] During Felim's reign the lands of the Ua Conchobair became limited to the five 'royal cantreds', essentially County Roscommon.[6] Felim notably adopted aspects of Anglo-Norman culture as seen in his English style effigy and seal.[3][7]

He was succeeded by his eldest son Hugh McFelim O'Connor, who adopted a more militant stance against English authority in Ireland than his father.[8] Among his other offspring were Aed Muimhnech O Conchobair king from 1274 to 1280, and a daughter, Fionnuala Ní Conchobair who died in 1301 as abbess of Kilcreevanty, Clonfert.[9] Having married while his brother Aedh Ua Conchobair was designated heir, he more than likely married someone of non-noble birth and thus her name does not appear in the annals.

  1. ^ Killanin, Lord; Duignan, Michael V. (1967). The Shell Guide to Ireland. London: Ebury Press. p. 414.
  2. ^ Gwynn, Aubrey; Hadcock, R. Neville (1970). Medieval Religious Houses Ireland. London: Longman. p. 229.
  3. ^ a b Gerald, Walter Fitz (1900). "The Effigy of King Felim O'Conor in Roscommon Abbey, and the Altar-Tomb It Rests on". The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. 10 (4): 364–367. ISSN 0035-9106. JSTOR 25507093.
  4. ^ Verstraten, Freya (2003). "Both King and Vassal: Feidlim Ua Conchobair of Connacht, 1230-65". Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society. 55: 15. ISSN 0332-415X. JSTOR 25535754.
  5. ^ Verstraten, Freya (2003). "Both King and Vassal: Feidlim Ua Conchobair of Connacht, 1230-65". Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society. 55: 31. ISSN 0332-415X. JSTOR 25535754.
  6. ^ Foster, R. F., ed. (1992). The Oxford history of Ireland. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 63. ISBN 0-19-285271-X. OCLC 25008954.
  7. ^ Verstraten, Freya (2002). "Normans & Natives in Medieval Connacht: The Reign of Feidlim Ua Conchobair, 1230-65". History Ireland. 10 (2): 11–15. ISSN 0791-8224. JSTOR 27724969.
  8. ^ Verstraten, Freya (2003). "Both King and Vassal: Feidlim Ua Conchobair of Connacht, 1230-65". Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society. 55: 30. ISSN 0332-415X. JSTOR 25535754.
  9. ^ "Genealogy of Patrick Mostyn and Marion Jacobs". Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2011.