Cahir O'Doherty

Sir Cahir O'Doherty ( or ; 1587

O'Doherty was the eldest son of clan chief John O'Doherty, ruler of Inishowen. O'Doherty and his father initially fought for the Irish confederacy in the Nine Years' War. Following his father's death, his clan became embroiled in a succession dispute. O'Doherty, aged 15, defected to the English and became known as the Queen's O'Doherty for his service on the Crown's side. After the war, O'Doherty had ambitions to become a courtier and applied for a position in the household of Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, but he increasingly came into dispute with Irish-based officials such as the Viceroy Sir Arthur Chichester and the Governor of Derry Sir George Paulet. In 1608, he launched a rebellion, seizing Derry from Paulet and burning it to the ground. O'Doherty was subsequently killed in a battle at Kilmacrennan, and the rebellion swiftly collapsed.

Early life One of the oldest depictions of fort Derry, Ireland. Derry was sacked and burned by Clans O'Doherty & McDavitt in 1608. Cahir was the eldest son of Sir John O'Doherty, O'Doherty clan chief and effective ruler of Inishowen. One of Cahir's younger sisters was Rosa who married Cathbarr O'Donnell and later Owen Roe O'Neill. A third was Margaret, who married Oghie O'Hanlon. Cahir was fourteen when his father died, and he had to spend the next few years gaining control of his lordship. Cahir's foster father was Phelim Reagh MacDavitt (Mac Daibhéid).

Cahir was knighted by Lord Mountjoy, were the principal Gaelic chieftains whose support the English Crown hoped to gain through a policy of moderation, and for a time this policy seemed to be working.

O'Doherty's Rebellion

Niall encouraged O'Doherty to rebel against the Crown, though Niall had ulterior motives for doing so. The English government had previously reneged on promises to grant Niall a patent to his clan's lands of Tyrconnell, which encompassed Inishowen. Niall distanced himself from the rebellion, as he clearly hoped to be awarded Inishowen in the event of a failed rebellion. Niall Garve O'Donnell, previously a loyal supporter of the English Crown, was also accused of supporting the rebellion. O'Doherty's precise motives for the rebellion are unclear, and its timing is also something of a puzzle, especially as the Privy Council of Ireland had just ordered that the Clan's confiscated and planted lands be restored to him. Taking revenge on Paulet was perhaps a sufficient motive in itself. Newgate, Dublin. 1608. Displaying the heads of Irish rebels Cahir O'Doherty (right) and Felim Riabhach McDavitt (left).

O'Doherty was shot in the head and killed during the Battle of Kilmacrennan on 5 July O'Doherty was 21 years old.

In July 1990, an O'Dogherty clan gathering was held, and Ramon Salvador O'Dogherty was installed as "Chief of the Name" at a ceremony in Belmont House (present-day Shantallow, County Londonderry). O'Dogherty received a traditional white wand of office and a sword which Cahir O'Doherty bore at the time of his death in battle at Kilmacrenan in 1608.