Conn O'Neill

Conn Ruadh O'Neill (; 1602 – in/after 1622), also known as Conn na Creige ("Conn of the rock"), was an Irish noble of the seventeenth century.

He was a son of Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone. Conn was left behind during the Flight of the Earls. English authorities planned to re-educate Conn as a Protestant by paying for him to attend Eton College. Eventually Conn was imprisoned in the Tower of London, where he likely died.

Family background Conn Ruadh O'Neill The O'Neill dynasty were the most powerful Gaelic family in Ulster. Conn's mother was Tyrone's fourth wife Catherine O'Neill, Countess of Tyrone, of the Magennis family of Iveagh. Conn had two full-brothers, Brian and Shane.

According to historian Paul Walsh, "Conn O'Neill is commonly believed to have been Tyrone's youngest son; but he was seven or eight years old in 1609 and consequently born before Brian". This would mean Conn was born around 1602. Historian Jerrold Casway corroborates this with his statement that Conn was five years old at the time of the Flight of the Earls, which occurred in September 1607. and Brian was born .

Family's flight from Ireland Conn was left behind when Tyrone, Catherine and other supporters departed Ireland during the Flight of the Earls in 1607. The Flight was apparently a snap decision on Tyrone's part as he feared arrest from the English government.