Domhnall Ó Néill was a medieval king of Tír Eoghain (Tyrone) who in 1314, famously sought the help of the King of Scotland, Robert the Bruce in the ongoing native Irish conflict against the Normans. Robert the Bruce, who was more than eager to open up another front against England in Scotland’s war for independence, had conceived of a “pan-Gaelic alliance” between Scotland and Ireland, due to their shared customs, common language and common descent, and Bruce’s brother Edward was proclaimed High King of Ireland in 1315. In what is believed to have been written probably in the later part of 1317, Ó Néill addressed Pope John XXII in what is more commonly known today as the Remonstrance of the Irish Chiefs, which was an assertion of a separate Irish nationality. Only extracts of the text are currently available.

Writings

Remonstrance of the Irish Chiefs to Pope John XXII (1317)