He had long been a rebel against the English Crown, and since the 1560s had instigated the Mac an Iarla against his father, who was a staunch supporter of Elizabeth I. These wars wars devastated large areas in Connaught and Thomond.
On his father's death in 1582 it was uncertain who would inherit the title, Ulick or his brother, John. Ulick gained the succession by murdering John and acknowledging the supremacy of the Crown. He afterwards remained a loyal subject till his death.[1]
Marriage and children
Clanricarde, as he now was, married Honora Burke, daughter of John Burke of Clogheroka, on 25 November 1564 at Athenry, County Galway.
Bourke, Eamonn (1995). Burke: People and Places. Whitegate and Castlebar: Ballinakilla Press and de Búrca Rare Books. ISBN0-946130-10-8.
Cunningham, Bernardette (1996), "From Warlords to Landlords: Political and Social Change in Galway, 1540–1640", in Moran, Gerard; Gillespie, Raymond (eds.), Galway History and Society: Interdisciplinary Essays on the History of an Irish County, The Irish County History & Society Series, Dublin: Geography Publications, pp. 97–130