Hugh McManus O'Donnell
| Hugh McManus O'Donnell | |
|---|---|
| Lord of Tyrconnell | |
| Reign | 26 October 1566 – 3 May 1592 |
| Predecessor | Calvagh O'Donnell |
| Successor | Hugh Roe O'Donnell |
| Born | c. 1520 Tyrconnell, Ireland |
| Died | 7 December 1600 (aged about 80) Donegal, Tyrconnell, Ireland |
| Burial | Donegal Abbey, Tyrconnell |
| Spouse |
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| Issue | Numerous, including Donal, Siobhán, Hugh Roe, Rory, Nuala and Cathbarr |
| House | O'Donnell dynasty |
| Father | Manus O'Donnell |
| Mother | Siobhan O'Neill |
Sir Hugh McManus O'Donnell (Irish: Aodh mac Maghnusa Ó Domhnaill; c. 1520 – 7 December 1600) was a Gaelic Irish nobleman. He was clan chief of the O'Donnell clan and Lord of Tyrconnell for most of the Elizabethan era.
In 1561, O'Donnell imprisoned his half-brother Calvagh with the assistance of his family's rival Shane O'Neill. Under brehon law he succeeded as chief upon Calvagh's death in 1566. A "wary politician", O'Donnell's lordship was marked by political indecision. He attempted to appease both pro- and anti-English factions in Tyrconnell, and thus alternated between varying alliances. His clan ultimately united with long-time enemies the O'Neills against the English – this alliance would continue into the Nine Years' War (1593–1603).
O'Donnell's health heavily declined by the 1580s, leading to a major succession crisis which was compounded by the kidnapping of his son and tanist Hugh Roe O'Donnell. His second wife, Scottish noblewoman Iníon Dubh, organised his abdication in 1592, in favour of Red Hugh.