Donal IV O'Donovan


Donal IV O'Donovan, , The O'Donovan, of Clancahill, was the son of Donal III O'Donovan, The O'Donovan of Clancahill, and Gyles O'Shaughnessy, daughter of Elis Lynch and Sir Roger Gilla Duff O'Shaughnessy, The O'Shaughnessy.

Career

;Patriot Parliament
O'Donovan was MP for Baltimore, County Cork, Ireland, in James II's Patriot Parliament of 1689, along with his kinsmen Jeremiah O'Donovan, The O'Donovan of Clan Loughlin, and Daniel O'Donovan. Following the Parliament, Donal was outlawed in 1691. At the time he was outlawed, he was characterised as a gentleman, of Benlahane, an archaic spelling of Bawnlahan, then the family seat. Donal's grandson, Daniel, son of Richard, changed the name of the family estate from Bawnlahan to Castle Jane when he married Jane Becher, who was then 15.

O'Donovan's Infantry Regiment

O'Donovan served during the Siege of Cork, as Deputy Governor of the 1200 strong garrison of Charles Fort, Kinsale under Sir Edward Scott. His regiment also appears later in the preparations for the Siege of Limerick.

Marriages and issue

Although it is likely that Donal IV was Catholic, as he was a member of the House of Commons of the James II Parliament in 1689 and subsequently outlawed, neither of his wives was Gaelic. This may have contributed to his success in avoiding confiscation of his remaining lands. From his tenure his branch made a massive shift to anglicize and conform, inevitably ruining their reputation but which facilitated their retention of property during the Penal Laws.
He was first married to Victoria Copinger, daughter of Captain Walter Copinger of Cloghan, by whom he had a daughter, Helena, who married her 2nd cousin Conn O'Donovan of Montpellier, ancestor of the present O'Donovan, Lord of Clancahill.
Secondly, he married in 1665 Elizabeth Tonson, daughter of Major Richard Tonson, by whom he had:
;Daughters
;Sons