Conn O'Neill, 1st Earl of Tyrone

He was made Earl of Tyrone, but his plans to pass the title and lands on to a chosen successor Matthew were thwarted by a violent succession dispute that led to another son, Shane O'Neill, emerging triumphant.

Hugh continued his grandfather's alliance with the Crown until his eventual leadership of Tyrone's Rebellion and later Flight of the Earls led to the collapse of the power of the traditional Irish lords in Ulster.

[4] Conn had previously been invoked by the primate as the secular arm in ensuring that no harm came to Senekin McDugan amongst other items, with excommunication and interdict amongst the results of failing to.

An alliance referred to as the Geraldine League sought the restoration of the heir of the FitzGerald lordship without interference from King Henry VIII of England.

After Tyrone was invaded in 1541 by Sir Anthony St Leger, the lord deputy, Conn and the Geraldine League were defeated and he made his submission.

In early 1542, Phelim was killed with one cast of a javelin by MacDonnell gallowglass according to the entry recording his death in the Annals of the Four Masters of Ireland.,[6] just prior to his father's submission to Henry VIII.

Of these, it was Shane, Conn's eldest surviving son, who was most favoured by the Irish custom of tanistry to succeed and so he went to war with his brother eventually having Ferdoragh killed in 1558.

[10] Conn claimed an illegitimate son named Matthew or Ferdocha "the dark one" with Allison Kelly, the widowed wife of a blacksmith in Dundalk.

This act caused great angst within the O'Neill clan and eventually led to civil war and the death of Matthew at the instigation of his half-brother Shane.