Daibheid O'Dochartaigh

          In the year 1208, shortly after the Norman Invasion, in the Territory of Cenel Conaill (Tyrconnel), now Donegal, there was a sub-chieftain of the Clann O'Dochartaigh (O'Doherty Clan) named Daibheid O'Dochartaigh (a name meaning "obstructionist") who was killed in battle in the Lagan Valley, defending against an incursion by elements of the Clann O'Cahan (O'Kane Clan) and the Clann O'Neill (O'Neil Clan). There is little else known about the man, except that he was highly esteemed, fought valiantly, and died with honor. He is reported to have had six sons (no mention was made then of daughters) who were thereafter accorded the honor of being known as Sons of David , or MacDaibheid. Daibheid is the Gaelic form of the Hebrew name David, meaning beloved. In that same period, and according to a map of Ireland, circa 1200, the O'Doherty Clan was regarded as a clan of Lesser Dynastic Surname, shown in the Territory of Inis Eogain, now known as the peninsula of Inishowen.

Lord of Inishowen Cahir O'Doherty and the 1608 Derry Uprising

          Although the people of the O'Doherty Clan, and their outgrowth MacDavitt Clan, were in 1608 scattered throughout Donegal in general, and the Inishowen Peninsula in particular, most lived in and around the town of Derry, a center of commerce, along the River Foyle, eight or nine miles from where the river opens out onto Lough Foyle, . And residing there too was the leadership both of the O'Doherty and the MacDavitt clans. Certainly predominant was the O'Doherty Clan, but the two were very close, and indeed almost as one. Not surprisingly, there was a significant British presence there, under the leadership of Governor Sir Henry Docwra. The British aim had been to break up the clans, and their success in Donegal at that time is quite apparent. But the British governor and the Lord of Inishowen had reached an entente cordiale, and indeed there seems to have been a close friendship. And yet, Sir Henry was indeed liege lord, and in keeping with aristocratic customs of the day, it was not unusual that the heir to the lordship of Inishowen be brought into his household for education and training. It was most commonly on the youth's fifteenth birthday that advisors to the head of the Irish clan would formally name him as heir, and it was soon following that occasion in1601 that Cahir O'Doherty would join other such youths, to study debate, rhetoric, Latin, and other scholarly pursuits, in the household of Sir Henry Docwra.
          Conflict arose in 1607 in Ireland. The Flight of the Earls brought many changes. For one thing, Sir Henry Docwra was posted to military duty, in pursuit of the O'Neills, down toward County Louth, and was replaced as governor by Sir George Pawlett, who felt only enmity toward the O'Doherty Clan. For another, it seems apparent now that the elder Lord of Inishowen died, and in early 1608 the twenty one year old Cahir O'Doherty was named Lord of Inishowen.
          Sir Cahir O'Doherty was godchild to the Chief of the MacDavitt Clan, Sir Phelim Reagh MacDavitt, and his wife, Lady Catherine. Following his father's death Cahir became foster brother to the six MacDavitt sons. (It should be noted that the story first of David O'Doherty having six sons, and then Sir Phelim MacDavitt also having six sons should be regarded as having a possibility of historical error.) Whether being godchild to the MacDavitts and foster brother to their sons involved living with them, or they with him, is uncertain, but that the MacDavitt sons and young Cahir were frequently in each other's company seems evident. However, it seems evident, too, that Sir Cahir was keenly aware of his exalted clan lordship. He knew that he owned Inishowen.
          Sir George Pawlett, had no respect for the rights or prerogatives of the youthful and perhaps headstrong Sir Cahir, as he laid a clever plan to strip the Lord of Inishowen of his land and holdings. For a beginning step, in early May 1608, he arbitrarily deeded the eastern half of the peninsula to Sir Arthur Chichester, and then let the news be circulated. As he no doubt expected, the word quickly reached Sir Cahir, who went raging into the governor's office, in Derry. There an angry altercation reached a fateful ending when Governor Sir George Pawlett, surrounded by his lieutenants, struck the young man, sending him to the floor. Sir Cahir rose and angrily fled to the outside, to be met there by his six foster brothers, the MacDavitts, and by a number of youths of the O'Doherty, O'Donnell and O'Neill clans. Together they retired from Derry to lay their plans, and in the morning they affected an attack upon the town that resulted in its total destruction. Amid the fighting, Derry Governor Sir George Pawlett was sought out and killed by a man named Owen O'Doherty. The British declared that Sir Cahir's uprising legitimized the governor's awarding of a portion of Inishowen to Sir Arthur Chichester, and then trumped their own move by awarding the rest of it to him.
          But now the chase was on to capture not only Sir Cahir but the Lord of the MacDavitt Clan, held also to be responsible for the attack. Sir Cahir and many of his supporters fled to the west toward his holdings at Kilmacrenon. (Some research credits Phelim MacDavitt with ownership of castles at Kilmacrenon and Aileach. Two conflicting reports have the swords both of Sir Cahir and Sir Phelim being found at Kilmacrenon.)  Sir Cahir was captured near Kilmacrenon on July 5, 1608, and executed by hanging, just as was Sir Phelim MacDavitt at Lifford, County Donegal.

The Execution of Sir Phelim Reagh MacDavitt

        The execution of Sir Phelim Reagh MacDavitt was, not uncommonly for its time in history, brutal. He and his wife Catherine and their sons fled south from Derry. If they had a planned destination it is not known, but when the family reached Lifford, a small town at the southernmost point in Donegal, Sir Phelim was taken into custody, and brought before the Crown's Lord Magistrate for trial. An account of Sir Phelim's trial was contained in a booklet published by the Christian Brothers, for use in teaching Irish history. The story presented by them may have been embellished according to the model of Irish heroism and Christian martyrdom that they wished to impart to impressionable students in the environment of an oppressed people. Here, unable to separate actual fact from embellishment, the Christian Brothers booklet is presented in its entirety:   

THE JUNIOR READER
By
The Christian Brothers

         The following example of Catholic Heroism in the seventeenth century is the strongest illustration that could be presented, in order to point out how much the gentry and nobility of Ireland suffered for the Catholic cause—for the grand old saving faith of their fathers:— Sir Phelim MacDevitt, the firm friend of (Cahir) O’Doherty, and the chief actor with him in his rebellion, when betrayed into the hands of the English, was offered pardon, the restoration of his vast property, and some of the highest honors at the disposal of the English Crown, if he consented to renounce the old faith of the Catholic Church. This offer was rejected with scorn; Sir Phelim refused to accept life at such a price. He was executed at Lifford on the 27th September, 1608, and the circumstances of his glorious death are related by O’Sullivan Beare, an historian whose testimony is regarded as “second to none in historical value.” He writes as follows: “After the death of O’Doherty, and the defeat of his brave little army at Kilmacrenon, Sir Phelim MacDevitt hid himself in the mountains. He was soon tracked by government informers, and though still suffering from the effect of his wounds, was dragged before the Lord Deputy, who, in loud and angry tones, demanded of him, “Where is the immense plunder taken by yourself and O’Doherty from the King’s subjects?” Sir Phelim answered, “The spoil taken by O’Doherty is all in my possession; but of what was taken by our soldiers I know nothing.” “Give up then what you hold," said the Lord Deputy, "for it has been taken by rebels from inoffensive and loyal subjects.”

“Proceed at once to employ your executioners in torturing this body of mine,
already enfeebled by wounds. I rejoice to be able to make
an offering of it to Jesus Christ in satisfaction of my sins.”

                                               —Phelim Reagh Macdavitt

         “Allow me to inform Your Excellency," said Sir Phelim, "that the spoil taken by my young master is his rightful property by the laws of war and of the holy Catholic religion; but as he is now in heaven, where he has no need of it, I will deliver it to you on the condition that you will give me my liberty and permit me to emigrate to Belgium, Spain or France.”
          “I will not only set you free," answered the Lord Deputy, "and confirm you in possession of the spoil you have taken, but will confer upon you the most splendid reward, and the highest honor at the disposal of the Crown, provided you renounce your religion, acknowledge the King head of the Church, and swear allegiance to him.” “Never," said Sir Phelim, "will I renounce for any human favour however great, for any wealth however enormous, or for any position however exalted, the holy Catholic, Apostolic, Roman faith, brought into this land by Saint Patrick, professed unto blood and death by my fathers, received by me in baptism, and maintained by me in unfaltering practice.”
          “Fool," said the Lord Deputy, "you refuse to accept a religion which will secure to you the favor and affection of a powerful king, one who will be to you a kinder and more munificent master than the hairbrained young chieftain who has just perished in his crimes.”
          “Your offer," replied Sir Phelim, "is a damnable one, and let me remind you that in making it to me now, after the loss of
my beloved master and of all my fortunes and inheritance besides, is a crime of unfathomable guilt, because it suggests the terrible wickedness of making God my enemy, and of thus leading here a life of racking misery, and of committing myself hereafter to eternal punishment. Proceed at once to employ your executioners in torturing this body of mine, already enfeebled by wounds. I rejoice to be able to make an offering of it to Jesus Christ in satisfaction for my sins. Yes, I rejoice and give thanks to God for the ineffable favour of having offered me this opportunity of shedding my blood for that loving Saviour who poured out his blood, even to its last drop, for me.” The Lord Deputy, fired with rage at these defiant words, ordered a gallows to be erected, and all the preparations for immediate execution to be got ready.
          Sir Phelim ascended the ladder with intrepid step, and having advanced to the front of the platform, spoke in nervous and feeling language to the Catholics who were there assembled. He implored them to pray fervently for him to get grace to seal with his blood the glorious confession of the faith which Christ bequeathed to him and them. He then gently submitted himself to the executioner, who, after pinioning his arms and fastening the rope around his neck, withdrew the bolt and let fall the drop. The body leaped out into the air with a sudden jerk; the rope snapped in two, and Sir Phelim fell heavily on his feet. A cry of horror arose from the spectators. The executioner rushed at his victim with a hatchet. Sir Phelim only staggered under his blows. Two soldiers ran to the assistance of the executioner, and in a short time felled the powerfully built man to the ground. The mangled victim, with dying voice, again implored the Catholics to pray for him. His fine figure and handsome face elicited the admiration and pity of the crowd. There were exclamations of “Shame!,” subdued curses, angry menaces, and long low wailings during the progress of this butchery. The executioner soon brought his work to a close. He plunged a knife into Sir Phelim’s breast, cut it open, tore out his heart and flung it into the fire kindled near him, and thus put a glorious end to a grand and glorious life.
          This tragic account reads like a chapter in the history of the early Christian church. The Roman tyrants and their infamous minions, in their thirst for Christian blood, did not torture their victims with more savage cruelty than what was exercised at Lifford, in a civilized age, on this noble Irish chief, for refusing to renounce the faith of Christ. Like him, they flung the offer back with scorn, and like him their bodies were hacked, they were disembowelled and their hearts were torn out and cast into the fire.
          The Clan MacDhaibheid had to fly from the face of the English after the execution of Sir Phelim. Their castle at Aileach, near Derry, and the land they possessed on the banks of the Swilly and the Foyle, and away in the distant Inishowen, were confiscated and handed over by James I to the “undertakers.” The family took refuge in the remote glens of Donegal, where their descendants fondly cherished the memory of their illustrious chief and martyr.

                                                                      —Very Rev. Canon Ulick J. Bourke


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         Family lore has it that Lady Catherine and at least some of the couple's sons fled with Sir Phelim, as far as Lifford. Following his death, they continued further south. While the sons' names are for the most part unknown, one of them may have been named Andrew. One might also have been named for his father Phelim, and the name might have been rendered as Felix. At any rate, Sir Phelim's immediate family, close relatives, and his supporters were taken in by the O'Hanlon Clan, long time allies of the MacDavitts, living in Counties Down and Armagh. There they were hidden from British searches until they gave up on finding the MacDavitts. Later the British would become aware of their presence in the area, but tribulation had neutralized the McKevitts as a threat to the British. In fact, the British seemed casually indifferent to the MacDavitts, whose name had by then metamorphosed to a dialectal rendition more closely resembling McKevitt.
          Those who were a part of, or quite close to, the family, and were hailed in the then hushed tones of the Irish, began to be known as Burn Derry McKevitts, an appellation handed along in the generations that followed. A tradition has it that the McKevitts, perhaps the Burn Derry McKevitts, moved quietly into the territory surrounding the townland known as Templetown, to see if the British would have any sort of negative reaction. When none was forthcoming, they virtually filled the area, and their presence there gave encouragement to other McKevitts yet in the North to join them. See the site link her named People, and the story of the McKevitts and the Bishop of Derry. Other of the Burn Derrys, as they were called, appeared in a place known as Edentubber, or Edentober, near Newry. Edentubber is a mountain, and like many mountains of Ireland, is and has all along been without trees. The British were indifferent to the presence there of the McKevitts, since they knew nothing could or would ever grow there. And the fact that, like other Irish in similar situations, the McKevitts made food grow on the mountain was met with only grudgingly tacit acknowledgement. But McKevitts in Edentubber, atop the mountain, would one day be attacked by a force stronger than the British.
          The year 1839 was that of The Big Wind, a hurricane that raked Europe and ruined Ireland, perhaps a deadly omen of a famine to come not far behind. Although through it all, only about 200 people lost their lives, just about everything standing was knocked down. Most of the homes on the moutain where Edentubber once rested were demolished, and the families taken in by kind people in Newry, Rostrevor, Warrenpoint, and Carlingford.

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Carlingford

Reference: www.fjiordlands.org/carlnfrd

           Although few in overall numbers, McKevitts are more especially to be found in places such as those mentioned above. Quite understandably, there are many also in Dundalk and, of course, Dublin. Mayo is also said to harbor a significant enclave of McKevitts. Being related to one of families of Carlingford, we enjoy greater knowledge of that fascinating medieval village
of some 500 citizens than of other places. The web site shown above provides a good tour for people who have not yet visited the area, but a brief history of Carlingford that emerged from a retirement party in 1997 honoring Joe McKevitt and his wife Lily gives a greater insight into the town and its people. Often affectionately called the Honorary Mayor of Carlingford, Joe finally sold the D. McKevitt grocery store serving the town and its environs. But during his long career he came to be well known, and noted for his flare for history. His retirement speech is printed below in its entirety:

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Note: In his speech, Joe McKevitt mentioned his sister Ella. Ella ran the [D. McKevitt] shop from the time she was 14 until her marriage on April 18, 1949, and the photo on her Memory Card was taken in the shop on the day it closed, August 31, 1997. The shop re-opened the following day under new ownership.
    The house next door to Castle Hill, the side toward The Square, is known as "Brown's Cottage." Elizabeth Brown was born there. She was married to Big Arthur's son Francis. Francis was a fisherman, and in those days, when neither fishing nor sleeping, remained immersed in the mending of nets. Elizabeth Ann started the shop on May 09, 1880, the year in which her son Daniel McKevitt was born. One day a sign over the store front would say "D. McKevitt."