Mac Giolla Phádraig Osraí 1384-1534 AD: Part II

The starting place for Part II of Mac Giolla Phádraig Osraí: 1384-1534 is Feartach, Cill Chainnigh (Fertagh, Co. Kilkenny) where a previously little known Mac Giolla Phádraig cleric, and unrecognised clann chieftain, was appointed Prior in 1506. There are many mysterious elements of Kilpatrick’s tomb at Gráinseach Feartach (Grangefeartach), which is said to be the final resting place of Brian na luireach and his son Seán, and a critical examination of the tomb cannot fail to lead to the inevitable question – is it not they, but others, who are buried there? In addition to the mysteries of Gráinseach Feartach, this article synthesises numerous entries in the Papal Registers, which provide clear evidence for a Mac Giolla Phádraig Osraí clerical lineage that enjoyed power, wealth, and influence, both within and without the clann. The exploits of the clerics, their relationship to other clann members, and their associations with their neighbours, are presented against the backdrop of the political landscape around Mac Giolla Phádraig Osraí country during the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. The key players from the House of Ormond, and the House of Kildare, and their networks with Mac Giolla Phádraig Osraí of the era provide new insights into the clann’s leadership and lineages, which are more complex and extensive than previously understood.