The House of Tyrconnell History

We launched a new book on 5 September 2025, building on genealogical and historical research partnerships (see 3 sample pages above on top).  Our new book "Memorialising Emigré Dignity" was launched at the Royal Irish Academy on Friday 5 September 2025. It consists of a series of essays building on the first webinar of the Irish College Leuven back in October 2020 (with the Leuven Centre for Irish Studies - LCIS), which was co-organised with its CEO, David Grant, and the launch was co-sponsored by the O'Donnell Clan Association, Eneclann/the Irish Family History Centre, the Genealogical Society of Ireland, and Clans of Ireland, with an outstanding array of distinguished speakers, including a keynote address of former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern who studied the entire "Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland" (the Annals of the Four Masters) during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, and whose erudition on Irish history, was complemented by the welcome addresses of the RIA Academy Librarian, Barbara McCormack and RIA Member and our co-author, Dr. M. Katharine Simms, and by our guest speakers: Prof. John McCafferty, Chair of the Irish Manuscripts Commission and Director of the Mícheál Ó Cléirigh Institute, UCD; Dr. Benjamin Hazard, School of History, UCD and Editor & Researcher, Irish Manuscripts Commission; Rev. Fr. Francis Cotter, STD, OFM, Dún Mhuire House of Studies, Killiney, Franciscan Historian & Theologian on “Franciscans of Today"; and Paul Manzor, CEO/Eneclann – Irish Family History Centre and Luke McInerney for Clans of Ireland (Foreword).  Our finale consisted of a wonderful harp recital by our Clan Council member, Dr. Mary Louise O'Donnell, her evening repertoire consisting of three pieces by Turlough O'Carolan, "Madam Maxwell" and "Carolan's Concerto", and most appropriately on the occasion, "Caoineadh Uí Dhomhnaill" the lament for The O'Donnell, being for Prince Red Hugh O'Donnell, aka Aodh Ruadh Ua Domhnaill, who died in Simancas in Spain in 1602,  as well as two pieces by Thomas Moore, "The Last Rose of Summer" and "Believe me if all those endearing young charms..."  The Authors of the book include Count Douglas O'Donell von Tyrconnell, Prof. Johan Verberckmoes, Prof. Fr. Micheál MacCraith, OFM, and Baron Bernard Snoy et d'Oppuers, along with Dr. Katharine Simms, David Grant and myself. We are so grateful to all for making this publication a truly collective success, and to our audience for the effort in travelling, some from America, England, Italy, and Serbia,  or from Cork, Galway, Donegal and beyond, to join us on this occasion. We include in this our special thanks also to their Excellencies, Ambassador Nicolas Nihon of Belgium and Ambassador Pavel Vosalik of the Czech Republic, and Cristian Font Calderón, the Chargé d'Affaires/DCM of the Embassy of Spain, as well as their other colleagues attending from their embassies and the Instituto Cervantes. Ten copies of the book were gifted to our distinguished speakers and diplomats, and no less than another 24 were sold in situ.

The establishment of the Franciscan College of St. Anthony of Padua, in Louvain/Leuven, Spanish Flanders (Belgium now) in 1607 coincided with the Flight of the Earls, although the foundation stone was laid a decade later in 1617. At the time, it was the first Irish Franciscan College on the Continent, and became a principal repository of Gaelic history and culture, with indeed, the first Gaelic language printing press abroad.  Having visited this Irish College in Leuven/Louvain back in 2007, now secularised since 1984, one of our Clan members, Amb. Francis M. O’Donnell (Frank), noticed the absence of any permanent memorial to the many scholars, soldiers, and other emigrés buried there. With friends after a later visit in 2017, it was agreed something should be done, and a conference was to ensue, with a plaque, and it was thought to dovetail all of that with an O’Donnell Clan gathering in Donegal, which our late Vincent O’Donnell was considering in consultation, but however the Covid-19 Pandemic struck.

Instead, back in October 2020, a Zoom session was held, and as it turned out, it became the first webinar of the Irish College in Leuven (ICL), with its CEO David Grant whose collaboration in this was crucial, and an array of distinguished speakers, including Rev. Professor Mícheál MacCraith, OFM; historian and scholar Dr. Katharine Simms, MRIA; Mag. Douglas Graf O’Donell von Tyrconnell, Professor Johan Verberckmoes, KU Leuven; Baron Bernard Snoy et d’Oppuers whose family had historically sheltered the Franciscans, during the French Revolution and who visited it with Frank again in 2017; and with all of whom Frank presented his own research, as he had done for the Clan Gathering in Donegal in 2013.

The theme proposed was "Memorialising Emigré Dignity", and its primary purpose was to draw attention to the great history of our exiles in the establishment and development of the Franciscan College of St. Anthony of Padua, the Irish College as it is now, secularised. The continuing pandemic intervened with our plans for a publication of the proceedings, but this is now coming to fruition. The final version of the planned booklet which has been prepared with David Grant in close cooperation with the authors and Frank.  ICL however do not publish hard-copy materials. Instead, the O'Donnell Clan Association's  Council agreed at Frank’s invitation, for ODCA to engage in partnership with the Genealogical Society of Ireland, the Clans of Ireland, and Eneclann Ltd whose logos appear with those who sponsored the webinar at the time, along with a Foreword by Clans of Ireland. This evolved into a joint funding and promotion exercise and our  hard-copy launch on 5 September 2025, with selected scholars and the Irish Harp recital offered by our fellow Council member, Dr. Mary Louise O’Donnell, in the Royal Irish Academy.

There are no less than 65 Irish family names represented amongst the 86 Irish buried, out of a total of 117 persons known to have been buried in the Irish College. Of these, the largest cohort is of the O'Donnells, and attributable to their role since the Flight of the Earls in 1607. Seven O’Donnells are buried there, followed by Fleming, McCarthy, MacDonnell, Ward, with three each and Burke, Duffy, FitzGerald, Lynch, O'Clery, O'Doherty, O'Molloy, O'Neill, and O'Reilly, et al. Another 75 Irish family names feature amongst those otherwise associated, bringing the totals to 130 different family/clan names represented among the 250 persons associated with the College. In the words of the late Fr. Canice Mooney, OFM:

“Is there any other similar plot of ground inside Ireland or outside that can boast the mortal remains of such an illustrious company of Irish soldiers and scholars?”

Some of these are amongst Ireland’s most famous scholars, such as Luke Wadding, Micheal O Cleirigh, Flaithri O Maolchonaire, John Colgan, Aodh Mac Aingil, etc.  There is still a need to place a suitable permanent memorial in place, and we believe this will ensue in due course. 

In May 2025, Frank received a letter from the office of the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins stating that he  "looks forward to seeing the finished booklet and would be delighted if you could send a copy to Áras an Uachtaráin upon its completion".  He also extends his "very best wishes for the success of the booklet". We have of course sent him a copy before the completion of his term as President of Ireland in November 2025, duly acknowledged. Copies have also been sent to the statutory copyright libraries, and are being sent to many other centres of learning in Ireland and abroad.