JOURNAL OF THE COUNTY DONEGAL HISTORICAL ~:'OCIETY 26th July during his 1752 Tour. He descrirbes him as :- .·. . . . the head of the family descended from the Earl of Tyrcon:nell and that he has only leases, yet he is the head of the Roman Cathelicks in .this country and ~as a great interest, is a sensilble man, and well versed in Irish History, ·both written and traditional." Under the Penal Code then in force no Catholic could hold land outright and a lease was limited to thirty-one years. He first married Flora Hamilton, of Cavan, and upon her death, Margaret Montgomery, of Derrygonnelly, Co. Fermanagh, whose father was a Captain of Horse under William 111. It is thought that he hoped hy tj1ese strong alliances with influential ascendancy families to secure his 1enure of the Larkfield Estates. rHe was idolised by the imp-0verished 111'.ish of County Leitrim who, besides holding him as "O"Donnell," further respected him as one of tl)e very few Catholics that succeeded in retaining any pToperty at that dark period of our history. Hugh was a friend and patron of Irish literati that included Seamus Maguidhir, an t-Athai'T Padraig 0 Coirnin and Feargal {Padraig?) Og Mac an Bhaird. He commissioned Maguidhir to compile the Poem Book of the O'Donnells, and thus saved for posJeritv this rwonderful collection of Irish verse. The task was romnleted in 1727 and he handsomely rewarded the scri:be for his work. The manuscript is now in the National Lihl'arv. Dublin. iin a poem addressed tci Hugh by ~n t-Athair Padraig he is called "the alumnus of · heroes," the .irenerous son of •Connell, who ho.,,rr'll""1 not his wealth, grandson of John. great-grandson of •he bountiful Hugh. who was son of Con, who hoarded not his J>lunders (!) the wide-spreading n"'k. whicli. sheltered the poets "nd thP ft>ehle." Toirdhalbhach o Cearbhallain. the last ot the Ba:rds, was a frequent visitor to 273. L.arksfield at this 'Period, as were the harpers, Arthur and Hugh O'Neill in later years. The place was a shelter for priests during the Penal :bays. Fr. PatricK Ward, !Pairish Priest of Drumlease, frequently took refuge and celebrated rMass there as often as possilblt! in the circumstances. Hugh died on 28th November, 1754, aged 63 years, and is buried in the Franciscan Abbey of Creevelea, Dromahair, on the :borders of Sligo. His monument is known lac.ally as "the Earl's tombstone." His sons, Connell and John, by his first wife, went into the Austrian Service. Both were created Counts. Connell became a Field-Marsh.al, Governor. of T:a:,sylvania and was a1warded the Knight Gr,and Cross of the Order of Ma:ria Theresa, while John rose to the rank of General. Op'On !their father's dea"ch the La"Lifield prO'perty passed to Con, a child of the second mar- :·iage. He too was called "O'Donnell." He married iMary, the sister of S'ir Neal O'Donnell (.1st. BaTt.) of Newport and his will was proved in 1774. Their eldest son, Hugh, settle<;l. at Greyfield, Co. Roscommon. He was grandfather of Rev. donstan~.ine !O'Donnell, Vicar of Allenheads, N-0rthumlberland. This G:--eyfield branch has comP·leltely died out-lthe property being bequeathed to their Larkfield cousins. Returning< now to Hugh of Greyfield's brnther, Con, who inherited Larkfield-he married Ma:ry 0'1Conor, of Ballanagare, (sister .0f The O'Conor Don) in 17.9-5. He strongly resented the reEltor<•.tion 6f The Cathach to the Newpo!.'t family, claiming that the Chieftainship had been inheTited by the Larkfield Branch and. consequently. they were the. 'fteoads of the O'Donnells. His leases must have been far from secure as the landlord :turned him 011t and handed the place over to his son, J·ohn-the onlv bov of the family that married. Hugh then went to live at Bally-
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