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{{short description|Hereditary Chief of the Name in Ireland}}
{{short description|Hereditary Chief of the Name in Ireland}}
{{More citations needed|date=September 2014}}
{{More citations needed|date=September 2014}}
{{use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{use Hiberno-English|date=February 2022}}


'''Denis Armar O'Conor, O'Conor Don''' ({{lang-ga|Donnchadh Ó Conchubhair Donn}}; 1912–10 July 2000) was hereditary [[O'Conor Don|Chief of the Name O'Conor]]. He was also a direct descendant of [[Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair]], the last [[High King of Ireland]], with a surviving male-line lineage, and was seen by some as a nominal claimant{{citation needed|date=August 2018}} to that defunct position.<ref>Curley, W.; Vanishing Kingdoms.</ref>
'''Denis Armar O'Conor, O'Conor Don''' ({{lang-ga|Donnchadh Ó Conchubhair Donn}}; 1912–10 July 2000) was hereditary [[O'Conor Don|Chief of the Name O'Conor]], and is a direct descendant of [[Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair]], the last [[High King of Ireland]] with a surviving male-line lineage and was seen by some as a nominal claimant{{citation needed|date=August 2018}} to that defunct position.<ref>Curley, W.; Vanishing Kingdoms.</ref>


==Early years==
==Early years==
Denis Armar O'Conor was born in [[London]] in January 1912. His father, Charles William O'Conor (1879-1964), the son of [[Denis Maurice O'Conor]], second son of [[Denis O'Conor|Denis O'Conor, O'Conor Don]], and Ellen Isabella Kevill-Davies, daughter of Rev. William Trevalyan Kevill-Davies of Croft Castle. His father was the nephew of [[Charles Owen O'Conor|Charles Owen O'Conor, O'Conor Don]]. He was also a descendant of the [[writer]], [[antiquarian]] and [[Catholic]] rights protagonist [[Charles O'Conor (historian)|Charles O'Conor]] of [[Bellanagare|Belanagare Castle]].
Denis Armar O'Conor was born in [[London]] in January 1912. His father Charles William O'Conor, the son of [[Denis Maurice O'Conor]] second son of [[Denis O'Conor|Denis O'Conor, O'Conor Don]], and Ellen Isabella Kevill-Davies daughter of Rev. William Trevalyan Kevill-Davies of Croft Castle. His father was the nephew of [[Charles Owen O'Conor|Charles Owen O'Conor, O'Conor Don]]. Charles William lived at his mothers family home of [[Croft Castle]] in [[Herefordshire]]. His mother Evelyn Lowry-Corry was the daughter of [[Admiral]] Hon. Armar Lowry-Corry, a younger son of the [[Armar Lowry-Corry, 3rd Earl Belmore]] and Geraldine King-King daughter of [[James King King]] of [[Staunton on Arrow|Stanton Park House]], [[Herefordshire]]. His grandmother Geraldine was also a niece of [[Colin Mackenzie (Indian Army officer)|Lieutenant General Colin MacKenzie]]. The young Denis won a classical bursary to [[Downside School|Downside]] where he was captain of [[boxing]].

His grandfather died when his father Charles William was only five years old and therefore his father grew up at his mother's family home of [[Croft Castle]] in [[Herefordshire]]. His mother, Evelyn Lowry-Corry (1879-1964), was the daughter of [[Admiral]] Hon. Armar Lowry-Corry, (a younger son of the [[Armar Lowry-Corry, 3rd Earl Belmore]]) and Geraldine King-King daughter of [[James King King]] of [[Staunton on Arrow|Stanton Park House]], [[Herefordshire]]. His grandmother Geraldine was also a niece of [[Colin Mackenzie (Indian Army officer)|Lieutenant General Colin MacKenzie]] and [[Charles Mackenzie (diplomat)|Charles Mackenzie]].

Denis along with his younger brother Roderic Charles O'Conor (1913-1985) grew up at Ashley Moor house near the village of [[Orleton]] in North Herefordshire. Their parents had purchased the house and farm sometime after their marriage in 1907 and lived there until the late 1940s, when they moved to Lake Park house near [[Lough Dan]], in [[County Wicklow]] in [[Ireland]].

The young Denis won a classical bursary to the [[Benedictine]] School [[Downside School|Downside]] where he was captain of [[boxing]].


==Life==
==Life==
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He was not well off and he abandoned farming to become a representative for a firm that sold tractors to farmers. Later he became a dedicated inspector for the [[Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals]].
He was not well off and he abandoned farming to become a representative for a firm that sold tractors to farmers. Later he became a dedicated inspector for the [[Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals]].


Field sports were an important to him all his life. He hunted [[foxhounds]], [[beagles]], [[Otterhound]] and [[Basset Hound]] at various times. He was a former [[Fox hunting#People|Master]] of [[Delgany]] [[Beagling|Beagles]], a popular pack among university students (whose real interest lay in [[Courtship|courting]], not [[Beagling|hunting]]). He became an acknowledged expert on hounds of all types - and was asked to judge at various shows throughout Ireland and occasionally in England. His love of dogs and his way with them was legendary. In the Early 1970's he moved to [[Dún Laoghaire]] in [[Dublin]].
Field sports were an important to him all his life. He hunted [[foxhounds]], [[beagles]], [[Otterhound]] and [[Basset Hound]] at various times. He was a former [[Fox hunting#People|Master]] of [[Delgany]] [[Beagling|Beagles]], a popular pack among university students (whose real interest lay in courting, not [[Beagling|hunting]]). He became an acknowledged expert on hounds of all types - and was asked to judge at various shows throughout Ireland and occasionally in England. His love of dogs and his way with them was legendary. In the Early 1970's he moved to [[Dún Laoghaire]] in [[Dublin]].


O'Conor succeeded as O'Conor Don on the death in 1981 of his second cousin, Father Charles O'Conor, the former provincial of the [[Jesuit Order]] in Ireland. Whereas the Jesuits in their austere way had insisted that Fr. O'Conor not call himself O'Conor Don, Denis O'Conor acclaimed the title with relish, and enjoyed its prerogatives to the full. However, Denis was not to inherit the family estate of [[Clonalis House|Clonalis]] outside [[Castlerea]], [[Co.Roscommon]].
O'Conor succeeded as O'Conor Don on the death in 1981 of his second cousin, Father Charles O'Conor, the former provincial of the [[Jesuit Order]] in Ireland. Whereas the Jesuits in their austere way had insisted that Fr. O'Conor not call himself O'Conor Don, Denis O'Conor acclaimed the title with relish, and enjoyed its prerogatives to the full. However, Denis was not to inherit the family estate of [[Clonalis House|Clonalis]] outside [[Castlerea]], [[Co.Roscommon]].
Line 39: Line 31:
Denis O'Conor's marriage to Elizabeth did not long outlast the birth of their only son. Elizabeth subsequently married [[James Cameron (journalist)|James Cameron]].
Denis O'Conor's marriage to Elizabeth did not long outlast the birth of their only son. Elizabeth subsequently married [[James Cameron (journalist)|James Cameron]].


O'Conor then married, in 1943, Rosemary O'Connell-Hewett (1920-2008), daughter of former [[Irish Guards]] and later [[British Indian Army|Indian Army]] [[Officer (armed forces)|officer]] and farmer Capt. James Pearse Bowen O'Connell-Hewett formerly of [[Sale, Victoria|Sale]], [[Australia]], and later of [[St Mary's Bay, Kent]] by his wife Marion Barclay-Brown, a niece of [[James Cantlie|Sir James Cantlie]]. Rosemary was also a direct descendant of [[Daniel O'Connell]], the 19th-century Irish Liberator, through his granddaughter Catherine Henrietta O'Connell-Fitzsimon daughter [[Ellen O'Connell]] and [[Christopher Fitzsimon]] of [[Glencullen|Glencullen house]].
O'Conor then married, in 1943, Rosemary O'Connell-Hewett, daughter of former [[British Indian Army|Indian Army]] [[Officer (armed forces)|officer]] Capt. James Pearse Bowen O'Connell-Hewett, and a direct descendant of [[Daniel O'Connell]], the 19th-century Irish Liberator, through his daughter [[Ellen O'Connell]], and had a daughter and two son.
They had a daughter and two son.


* Gail O'Conor (b.1943 - d.1957), died aged thirteen.
* Gail O'Conor (b.1943 - d.1957), died aged thirteen.
*Kieran Denis O'Conor (b. 28 October 1958), a [[senior lecturer]] in [[Archaeology]] in [[NUI Galway]], who was married on the 26th of August 1988 to Karena Mary Morton, daughter of Roderick Morton by his wife Theresa Winifred O'Shee, daughter of [[Irish Parliamentary Party]] [[Member of Parliament|MP]] [[J. J. O'Shee]], and had issue.
*Kieran Denis O'Conor (b. 28 October 1958), a [[senior lecturer]] in [[Archaeology]] in [[NUI Galway]], who was married on the 26th of August 1988 to Karena Mary Morton, and had issue.
*Rory Dominic O'Conor (b. 1 January 1963), who was married on the 21st of August 1999 to Cecilia Emily Gleeson, and had issue.
*Rory Dominic O'Conor (b. 1 January 1963), who was married on the 21st of August 1999 to Cecilia Emily Gleeson, and had issue.


Revision as of 17:10, 2 March 2022

Denis Armar O'Conor, O'Conor Don (Template:Lang-ga; 1912–10 July 2000) was hereditary Chief of the Name O'Conor, and is a direct descendant of Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair, the last High King of Ireland with a surviving male-line lineage and was seen by some as a nominal claimant[citation needed] to that defunct position.[1]

Early years

Denis Armar O'Conor was born in London in January 1912. His father Charles William O'Conor, the son of Denis Maurice O'Conor second son of Denis O'Conor, O'Conor Don, and Ellen Isabella Kevill-Davies daughter of Rev. William Trevalyan Kevill-Davies of Croft Castle. His father was the nephew of Charles Owen O'Conor, O'Conor Don. Charles William lived at his mothers family home of Croft Castle in Herefordshire. His mother Evelyn Lowry-Corry was the daughter of Admiral Hon. Armar Lowry-Corry, a younger son of the Armar Lowry-Corry, 3rd Earl Belmore and Geraldine King-King daughter of James King King of Stanton Park House, Herefordshire. His grandmother Geraldine was also a niece of Lieutenant General Colin MacKenzie. The young Denis won a classical bursary to Downside where he was captain of boxing.

Life

He went on to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1930. He continued to box there and was also noted for his horsemanship, originally learned from his father and honed while hunting in Ireland and Herefordshire. Despite the harsh discipline at Sandhurst, he managed to lead a hectic social life in London.

In 1931 he was commissioned in to the Lincolnshire Regiment and served in the East in India and China. India especially gave him the opportunity to hunt, play polo, go pig-sticking and shoot. He had one of the highest handicaps at polo in India and China during his time there and regularly played against the American army in the Philippines; in China he owned and trained horses, one of which, Kilrea, won several races in Hong Kong. A wild and spirited young man with an eye for the girls, he enjoyed Army life in the East to the limit and often beyond. In the Second World War, O'Conor saw action at Dunkirk, however he saw no further action due to a training accident involving a grenade. However, he continued in the military in a training and administrative capacity. He retired with the rank of Major in 1946 and moved to live in Roundwood, Co Wicklow, where his father had bought a farm.

He was not well off and he abandoned farming to become a representative for a firm that sold tractors to farmers. Later he became a dedicated inspector for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Field sports were an important to him all his life. He hunted foxhounds, beagles, Otterhound and Basset Hound at various times. He was a former Master of Delgany Beagles, a popular pack among university students (whose real interest lay in courting, not hunting). He became an acknowledged expert on hounds of all types - and was asked to judge at various shows throughout Ireland and occasionally in England. His love of dogs and his way with them was legendary. In the Early 1970's he moved to Dún Laoghaire in Dublin.

O'Conor succeeded as O'Conor Don on the death in 1981 of his second cousin, Father Charles O'Conor, the former provincial of the Jesuit Order in Ireland. Whereas the Jesuits in their austere way had insisted that Fr. O'Conor not call himself O'Conor Don, Denis O'Conor acclaimed the title with relish, and enjoyed its prerogatives to the full. However, Denis was not to inherit the family estate of Clonalis outside Castlerea, Co.Roscommon.

He became chairman of historical and genealogical societies, a regular presiding presence at community events and was even involved in tourist promotion. He was founding member of the Council of Irish Chieftains, consisting of the descendants of the few princely families whose pedigrees have been authenticated by the Chief Herald of Ireland. He used his position to promote an interest in Irish heritage from genealogy, local history to archaeology. He became President of the Dún Laoghaire Genealogical Society in 1991 and President of the Genealogical Society of Ireland in 1999. He was also Deputy Chairman of the Standing Council of Irish Chiefs and Chieftains.

Personal life

He married, in 1936, Elizabeth Marris, daughter of Rev. Stanley Punshon Marris, and had issue:

Denis O'Conor's marriage to Elizabeth did not long outlast the birth of their only son. Elizabeth subsequently married James Cameron.

O'Conor then married, in 1943, Rosemary O'Connell-Hewett, daughter of former Indian Army officer Capt. James Pearse Bowen O'Connell-Hewett, and a direct descendant of Daniel O'Connell, the 19th-century Irish Liberator, through his daughter Ellen O'Connell, and had a daughter and two son.

  • Gail O'Conor (b.1943 - d.1957), died aged thirteen.
  • Kieran Denis O'Conor (b. 28 October 1958), a senior lecturer in Archaeology in NUI Galway, who was married on the 26th of August 1988 to Karena Mary Morton, and had issue.
  • Rory Dominic O'Conor (b. 1 January 1963), who was married on the 21st of August 1999 to Cecilia Emily Gleeson, and had issue.


Because he was divorced, O'Conor was precluded from following the family tradition of becoming a member of the Order of Malta but he joined and eventually became Grand Prior of the Irish priory of the Oecumenical Order of St Lazarus of Jerusalem, which contributes to the relief of leprosy. His also taught disabled children to ride.

The O'Conor Don died on the 10th of July 2000 aged 88 and was buried at the family plot in Castlerea graveyard on the edge of the family estate. His eldest son, Desmond, who lives in Sussex, succeeded as O'Conor Don.

Ancestry

Descent from High King of Ireland[2]

Distinctions

References

  1. ^ Curley, W.; Vanishing Kingdoms.
  2. ^ O'Hart, John (1892). Irish Pedigrees or the Origin and Stem of the Irish Nation. Dublin: James Duffy and Co. Limited. ISBN 9781376251142.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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