Rosa O'Neill (c.1582 - 1660): Intermediary
Rosa O'Neill was a sister of Cahir O'Doherty. She married Cathbar O'Donnell, brother of the Earl of Tyrconnell, and bore him a son, Hugh. In 1607 they accompanied the Earl of Tyrone to the continent, and then to Rome, having left Hugh in Louvain. A year later, when her husband died of fever, she returned to Louvain, and in 1613-14 marred Owen Roe O'Neill. They had one son, Henry. Rosa was politically active on Owen Roe's behalf, often representing him and acting as his intermediary and purchasing agent. In 1643, she and Henry Roe returned to Ireland, where her husband was campaigning, but six years later, Owen Roe died of a fever. In 1651 she gained permission to resettle in Flanders, from where she petitioned the Spanish authorities for Owen's military pensions. Towards the end of her life she lived in Brussels. She was buried at the Franciscan College of St Anthony of Padua in Louvain. Her crypt and Latin inscription survive.
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