Burke (de Burgh), Uilleag (‘Uilleag Ruadh’) (d. 1485), 5th lord of Clanricard, was son of Uilleag de Burgh (qv), 3rd lord of Clanricard, and succeeded to the lordship (1430) on the death of his uncle William Burke. His succession indicates that, although the Clanricard Burkes were using elements of Gaelic society (e.g. Conchobair Mac Aedicain, the ollamh of Clanricard, died in 1438), the leadership of the lordship was basically decided by primogeniture, as the sheer length of his lordship indicates that he was still a minor when his father died in 1423. On the whole, Uilleag Burke maintained a stable, prosperous lordship, capable of dominating the politics of Connacht, although he was forced to recognise the overlordship of Edmund ‘na Féasóige’ Burke (qv), the MacWilliam of Mayo, from 1443 to about 1449, when he defeated the northern Burkes with the aid of his Ó Conchobhair Donn allies. In 1468 he allied with Eoghan Caoch Ó Conchobhair Donn to raid into the territory of Feidhlimidh Ó Ruairc (qv), although not much was accomplished beyond the burning of Ó Ruairc's house. He also strengthened his family's long-term alliances with the O'Briens, marrying Slaine, daughter of Tadhg Ó Briain (qv), and attempted to form an alliance with the O'Kellys when he married his daughter to Maolsheachlainn Ó Ceallaigh (qv) and granted them Callow castle in 1475.
The most serious threat to the dominance of Clanricard Burkes in Connacht after 1450 was the increasing influence of the O'Donnells in northern Connacht, especially when they were allied with the MacWilliam Burkes of Mayo. In 1467 Ricard Ó Cuairsge de Burgh (qv) and the Ó Ceallaigh invaded Clanricard but were seriously defeated by Uilleag Burke and the O'Briens. However, before he could follow up this victory, Aodh Ruadh Ó Domhnaill (qv) intervened and forced a peace on him. He was faced by a second invasion by Ó Cuairsge in 1469, this time in alliance with Ó Domnhaill, and the combination proved too much for him to handle. Clanricard's dominance in Connacht was saved by the fleeting nature of the MacWilliam–ÓDomhnaill alliance, which collapsed in 1471. Without this alliance, he was able to maintain Clanricard's dominance till his death in 1485.