Matthew O'Neill

Matthew O'Neill, who was in line to succeed his father Conn Bacach as The O'Neill. The circumstances of the succession, however, drove a wedge between the family. Matthew had been brought up in Dundalk as a Kelly, the son of a blacksmith's widow who had had a brief sexual liaison with Conn Bacach. When he reached adulthood, Matthew was "named" as Conn's son and accepted by the chieftain. However, it also meant that Matthew was now his eldest son, with his illegitimacy being no barrier to becoming heir his son Hugh became the 2nd Earl of Tyrone instead.