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Hugh McShane O'Neill | |
|---|---|
| Prince of Tyrone, The MacShane of Glenconkeyne, Lord of Glenconkeyne | |
| Born | c. 1575 Glenconkeyne (modern County Londonderry), Ulster, Ireland |
| Died | after 1621 Glenconkeyne (modern County Londonderry), Ulster, Ireland |
| Family | O'Neill / MacShane |
| Father | Con MacShane O'Neill |
| Mother | Catherine/Julian Maclean |
| Occupation | Prince, Chief of the MacShane O'Neill sept |
Hugh McShane O'Neill (c. 1575 – after 1621) was an early modern Irish nobleman and rebel associated with the McShanes of Glenconkeyne and Killetra (modern south County Londonderry). This group was also called the "Wild Clan Shanes of Killetragh" or the "McShane-O'Neills".[1] His parentage is disputed however he is claimed by some as being either a grandson or great-grandson of Conn O'Neill, 1st Earl of Tyrone, and Gearoid Mór Fitzgerald, 8th Earl of Kildare, and of the primary line of the O'Neill of Tyrone clan.[2]
Hugh was an active rebel and commander in the 1580s through 1615. His first deed of historical note was a raid his brothers conducted on Maguire of Fermanagh and his lands in early 1573. They were stated to have done great damage to the lands of Maguire. The genealogy that states Hugh was the son of Shane "The Proud" O'Neill is based on his moniker and the fact that he is often in the company of other known sons of Shane O'Neill, collectively known across Ireland in the late 16th century as "The Mac Shanes". According to Scottish sources, he and his brothers Henry MacShane O'Neill and Art "MacShane" invaded Ireland with 3000 Scots from his cousin Lachlan MacLean in 1587.[3] The link between the MacLeans and the MacShanes was close in that their mother was the daughter of Hector Mor, Chief of the MacLeans, and he and two other brothers had been secured with the MacLeans after the murder of their father, Shane in 1567. See O'Neill dynasty.