The Great O'Neill: A Biography of Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, 1550-1616 [Paperback]

Sean O'Faolain (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0802313213 | ISBN-13: 978-0802313218 | Publication Date: December 31, 1997

A great deal more than a popular biography of one of Ireland's greatest chieftains. It is also a graphic portrait of life in Gaelic Ireland, when the Gaels were making their last stand against the English invaders, and the Gaelic way of life was about to become extinct.. The O'Neill who emerges.is a gifted soldier, a wily politician, and a ruthless gambler who would destroy anybody to win, including other Gaelic chieftains. He was also the master of the double-cross, time and again promising the English he would behave only to ambush them later.If you have not yet read this work, I suggest you pick up a copy and discover the roots of the present problems in Ulster""--Irish Echo.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Sixteenth Century Ireland, still in the Middle Ages, forms the background for the biography of the wild Irish chieftain who kept Elizabeth's Irish army at bay for nine years. From the time when his grandfather, Conn, was made the first earl of Tyrone, there was disunity among the bewildered people. Some thought he had betrayed his race for immediate good to himself. His grandson was sent to be brought up in the household of ?? the elder; he returned to face years of struggle for his own ancestral rights in the North of Ireland. He was an opportunist - he played his cards well for his own ends; he stayed virtually clear of the bitter Desmond Wars of Southern Ireland, he shut his eyes to the massacres and butchering, until his loyalty was taxed by the kidnapping of his sily's son, Red Hugh. From that moment, his roots struck deeper into Irish ??soil, and though he played for time, and pretended friendship for the dread English, he was veering towards his fate as leader of Ireland's fight for independence, a fight which almost brought success. Spain was yapping at England's ?? and promising aid to Catholic Ireland. The wars were wars of frontier and forest, and for nine years, The O'Neill used strategy, deceit, and the allies of time, famine and penury, to keep successive English leaders at bay. But his own success caught him by the heels, and at Kinsale he met defeat and rout. O'Faolain shows him as he was, ?? not an Irish patriot hero, but as a man who "had designed with what he found...A European figure intelligently aware of the large nature of the conflict..as intelligent a man as any of his time..lost to European history and made part of merely local plety." There is much that is fascinating reading --Kirkus Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 284 pages
• Publisher: Dufour Editions (December 31, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802313213
• ISBN-13: 978-0802313218
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,272,974 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hugh O'Neill - The Last Irish King, August 14, 2000

By 

Linda O'Neill (Lafayette, CO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Great O'Neill: A Biography of Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, 1550-1616 (Paperback)

I read this book because I am an O'Neill and wanted to learn more about my heritage. What I came away with is a better understanding of the history of the conflict between Ireland and England, that Ireland was in fact England's first colony and that a man named Hugh O'Neill nearly ended England's world colonization before it began. Enlightening also is the view into 16th century European culture and politics. This book is a pleasure to read for it's colorful descriptions of characters and settings as well as it's glimspe into historical events that are not often described.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Ancient Gael, June 21, 2001

By 

Nollaig O'Faolain (Ireland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Great O'Neill: A Biography of Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, 1550-1616 (Paperback)

This is a profound book full of fascinating historical data on one of the most complex characters of ancient Irish history. Much of what the author writes is of necessity speculation but he also has researched into the history of the O'Neills & the old gaelic Chieftain order. The result is a facinating drama from the pages of ancient Irish history presented in a most dramatic & colourful manner. Personally I believe here is a story that could transfer the world of cinema & rival & surpass Braveheart in its epic scale & mesmerising characters. There is firstly the young O'Neill born into the most eminent of all Irish families, suddenly orphaned & at risk from his own people. Forced to flee he is taken in by the English & raised to be their pawn. In time he grows to manhood, returns to his people & claims all that is his. At first he has the support of the English as they pit Irish against Irish but eventually he outgrows them & becomes instead the most dangerous foe the Elizabethan armies have ever encountered. He scores victory after vistory over the English, culminating with his destruction of their great army at The Battle of the Yellow Ford. Unfortunately for O'Neill English resources far outweigh his as he well knows & a single defeat will spell his ruin. This comes inevitably at the battle of Kinsale & then all are left to mourn not just the passing of the Ancient Gael & its great Lords but the entrenchment of the English in Ireland which resulted in such pleasures as the Penal Times, 1798, The Great Famine, the War of Independence & today's Troubles in Northern Ireland. All can be traced back to that single defeat at Kinsale. I rate this book as by far the most significant work that O'Faolain ever wrote & believe it should be compulsory for all Irish History students. One curious aside is the comparison between this period of Irish history & the Indian wars in the USA. Certain characters have an uncanny resemblance, Sitting Bull & Hugh O'Neill; Crazy Horse & Hugh O'Donnell; Mountjoy & Sherman(?). Also the desperate struggle to maintain an ancient way of life & the realisation on the part of the indigenous peoples that theirs was a hopeless battle & that eventually a single defeat would bring their end. Yet these people believed strongly enough in their culture to fight for it & as an Irishman I am proud that O'Neill & O'Donnell fought their great foes rather than going quietly into the night. A great book.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars In depth, November 13, 2010

By 

Barbara Bachner (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Great O'Neill: A Biography of Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, 1550-1616 (Paperback)

Not an easy read. Filled with lots of detail such as war strategy that I think might appeal more to men. Still, an extremely informative book that taught me a lot of history and sent me out looking for more. Recusing myself: This man is my 9th great-grandfather which added to my interest.