MacCarthy (Mac Carthaigh), Sir Cormac

MacCarthy (Mac Carthaigh), Sir Cormac (c.1525–1583), lord of Muskerry and sheriff of Cork, was second son of Tadhg MacCarthy (d. 1565), lord of Muskerry; nothing is known of his mother. Cormac is first mentioned in 1549, levying black rents on the English of Cork, but for the duration of the next decade he was to remain in the shadow of his father and his elder brother, Diarmaid (d. 1571). This combination was to work well. On Tadhg's death (1565), Diarmaid succeeded him with the consent of Cormac. During the first Desmond rebellion their hatred of the FitzGeralds, combined with unwavering adherence to the government, made the brothers a target for rebel attention. In November 1568 Muskerry was thoroughly wasted. And later in early June 1569 the rebels appeared before Cork, demanding that Cormac be handed over. On Diarmaid's death (1571) Cormac proved a worthy successor. In 1572 the government's approval was rubber-stamped through Cormac's knighting by the lord deputy, Sir William Fitzwilliam (qv). On 23 December 1576 Sir Cormac was prominent among the grandees who greeted the lord deputy, Sir Henry Sidney (qv), in Cork. Sidney was so impressed with him that he recommended his elevation to baron. The government's faith was further testified when he was picked to be sheriff for Cork on 25 November 1579, and during the second Desmond rebellion he again served the government, campaigning against the rebels throughout Munster. However, the sympathy of some of his followers for the rebels tended to strain his relationship with the government. Infiltration of his lordship of Muskerry by rebels forced him sometimes to temporise with them, causing some government officials to doubt him. Despite this precarious and potentially fatal situation, Cormac used his adroit political skills to preserve his hold on Muskerry and fulfil his role as sheriff. Indeed, it was he who delivered a telling blow to rebel fortunes, ensnaring and killing Sir James FitzGerald on 4 August 1580. This earned him renewed government admiration and unrelenting rebel hostility. By 25 August the rebels were massing for revenge, forcing the government to send him hurriedly a large force of galloglass to stave off the impending offensive. In November 1580 it was falsely reported in Cork that he had been killed. But as Munster was gradually pacified, Sir Cormac became dissatisfied because of the billeting of government troops in Muskerry. On 24 September 1582 he asked to be allowed to present his grievances at court. This angered local officials, who blocked his passage to England. Undeterred, he sent his agent to present his petition for a pension and for lifting of the cess. Perhaps as a sign of his disillusion, he stood down as sheriff of Cork in November 1582. By February 1583, however, he was reconciled with the government, joining in the pursuit of outlaws. Sir Cormac is last recorded campaigning in Kerry two months later before dying in July 1583. With his wife, Dame Margaret MacCarthy, he had two recorded sons.