Rose O'Neill

Rose O'Neill (; fl. 1587–1607) was a Gaelic Irish noblewoman and queen consort of Tyrconnell. She was the daughter of Hugh O'Neill and wife of Hugh Roe O'Donnell, the two leaders of the Irish confederacy during the Nine Years' War. Her marriage to O'Donnell was a deliberate move to unite the O'Neills and the O'Donnells, the two most powerful Irish clans of their day. Their marriage had formally ended by 1598.

She has been the subject of several poems and songs, particularly rebel song "Róisín Dubh", making her somewhat of a nationalist figure for Gaelic Ireland. In poetry, her name is often anglicised Rosaleen. and his wife Siobhán Maguire.

The identity of Rose's mother is unclear, as Tyrone is known to have four wives and various mistresses. Historian Robert Dunlop believed that Rose's mother was Catherine Magennis—however, since Rose was betrothed to Hugh Roe O'Donnell in the late 1580s, The following year, there was a rumour that Rose was to marry the Earl of Argyll. Two weeks later, on 6 April 1597, it was reported that O'Donnell had recently renewed his alliance with Tyrone, and that "their league of friendship is more apparently confirmed, for the satisfying of their followers and dependants, by O'Donnell's receiving of the earl's base daughter" in marriage. The phrase "base" could imply Rose's illegitimacy. By 1598, it was reported O'Donnell had divorced Rose. The divorce was most likely against Tyrone's wishes. Her marriage to O'Donnell did not result in any children.

The Irish confederacy was severely weakened following a harsh defeat at the Siege of Kinsale. Rose's marriage was also utilised to separate Tyrone and O'Cahan. It seems O'Cahan was never legally divorced from Mary which created enmity between him and Tyrone. George Montgomery, the new Protestant Bishop of Derry, encouraged O'Cahan to leave Rose and return to his first wife, Tyrone had asked for her dowry back in the event of a divorce, but O'Cahan retained it. is based on a fragmentation of an older existing love song to Rose. It is addressed in Hugh Roe's voice to Rose, and is believed to have its origins in the rebel encampments during the Nine Years' War. One source attributes it to a Tyrconnellian poet under the reign of Red Hugh.

Although "Róisín Dubh" is superficially a love song, it has been described as a patriotic poem that hides its nationalism via allegory. In a time when nationalistic expression was outlawed in Ireland, the poem was a way to covertly express nationalistic beliefs. Hugh Roe's love for Rose is symbolic for his love for Ireland, and his resolve to raise Ireland again to the position she held before the Norman conquest. In this way, Rose O'Neill has become a nationalist symbol for Gaelic Ireland.

Rose O'Neill has also been alluded to by English poets. She is referenced in Edmund Spenser's poem The Faerie Queene. Sir Aubrey de Vere wrote two poems about her: "Little Black Rose" and "Róisín Dubh or the Bleeding Heart".