Maccarthy Mór (Mac Carthaigh), Domhnall (Donal)

Maccarthy Mór (Mac Carthaigh), Domhnall (Donal) (d. p.1555), lord of Desmond, was son of Cormac Ladhrach MacCarthy Mór, king of Desmond. Commonly known as Domhnall of Druimínin, he succeeded his father on the latter's death (1516). Virtually nothing is known of the first two decades of his reign. On 16 September 1542 he, with most of the other nobility of Desmond, entered into an indenture with the lord deputy, Sir Anthony St Leger (qv). In contrast to the political turmoil prevailing throughout the rest of Ireland, Domhnall's reign over Desmond was on the whole tranquil. He seems to have enjoyed good relations with his Anglo-Irish neighbours, as evidenced by the marriage of his daughter Ellen to James FitzGerald (qv), 14th earl of Desmond. This goodwill was reflected in his surviving transactions with the English. With Ellen, he was last mentioned being granted English liberty in 1554–5. Domhnall is recorded as having had three sons and one daughter, and was succeeded by his son Domhnall MacCarthy Mór (qv) (d. 1596), later earl of Clancare.