Mary Stuart O'Donnell

Lady Mary Stuart O'Donnell (Irish: Máire Stíobhartach/Stiúbhart Ní Dhomhnaill; – in or after 1639) was an English-born Irish noblewoman. Her father, Rory O'Donnell, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell, left her pregnant mother Bridget behind in Ireland during the Flight of the Earls. Born in England, Mary and her mother survived on a pension from James VI and I and she grew up in Ireland as a Catholic.

Due to her strong-willed nature and devout Catholicism, she became estranged from her mother's Protestant family, and after breaking into a London prison to free Irish fugitives, she fled to Brussels with her boyfriend Dualtach O'Gallagher. She faced further issues when her brother Hugh and his allies sought to use her as a marital tool to unite their noble families.

Mary and O'Gallagher escaped to Italy, where they married and had at least one child. The circumstances of her death are unknown - she was last recorded living in Rome in 1639.

Family background Mary's father, Rory O'Donnell, 1st Earl of TyrconnellMary O'Donnell was born in London around late 1607. and subsequently married Bridget. When Bridget learned of her husband's departure, she was pregnant with Mary and expected to deliver in two weeks. and placed her under royal protection. As the daughter of an earl, she was styled as 'Lady Mary'.

Rory died in Rome of a fever in July 1608. who had recently been incarcerated for refusing to revoke their claims over planted land in Ireland. Following this incident, she was ordered to appear before the royal court. She instead opted to go into hiding, then flee London with O'Gallagher during the latter months of 1626. Iníon Dubh's parents were James MacDonald, 6th of Dunnyveg, and his wife Agnes Campbell. The 12th Earl of Kildare's parents were Gerald FitzGerald, 11th Earl of Kildare and Mabel Browne. Frances Howard's parents were Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham and Catherine Carey, Countess of Nottingham.