15th century Offaly noblewoman included in new book
An Offaly woman from the 15th century is featured in a new book that looks at the history of Ireland through 21 of our history's most formidable, yet somewhat forgotten, females.
Margaret O'Carroll is one of a colourful cast of women that appears in Clodagh Finn's new book 'Through Her Eyes – A new history of Ireland in 21 women'. Author and journalist Finn throws the spotlight on some of Irish history's most interesting women, a description that most definitely fits Margaret O'Carroll.
Born in the kingdom of Éile, which largely corresponds to modern day Offaly, in the early 15th family, Margaret's father Tadhg O'Carroll was a powerful Gaelic lord. She married a head of a neighbouring lordship, An Calbhach O'Connor Faly, who went on to become the lord of Éile within five years of their marriage.
However, while she may have been surrounded by powerful men, Margaret distinguished herself throughout her own actions. She was known as 'Margaret the Hospitable' due to her patronage of the arts and was renowned for organising lavish banquets and arts festivals with up to 3,000 guests.
Associated with Killeigh, she was also well also well known for her acts of charity and piousness and commissioned the building of churches as well as making a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in 1445, a journey that would have been extremely costly and fraught with danger.
There are also contemporary reports of Margaret negotiating the release of Irish prisoners with the Anglo-Irish government without consulting her husband. While she had been Spain her husband had got into a conflict with an English family and both sides had taken hostages.
Author Finn writes that it “must have taken a woman of considerable character to do what she did”.
“We don't know if she spoke English, but she was clearly diplomatic and skilled in negotiation. The fact that she did all of that without telling her husband, much less consulting him, shows she was very independent minded.”
Through Her Eyes is published by Gill Books.