Shane O'Neill: podcast appearances and interviews

Shane O'Neill was an Irish chieftain of the O'Neill dynasty of Ulster during the mid-16th century. His career was characterized by his ambition to become the O'Neill, which involved conflicts with other branches of his family and with the English government in Ireland. Despite the English recognizing a rival claim to the title, Shane's support was deemed valuable by English authorities even during his father's lifetime. He rejected overtures from the lord deputy, the 3rd Earl of Sussex, and chose not to assist the English against Scottish settlers on the coast of Antrim. Instead, he temporarily allied with the MacDonnells, the most powerful of the Scottish settlers, whom he regarded as invaders. Shane O'Neill attempted to leverage the Scottish settlers to strengthen his position with the English, but tensions escalated, leading to open conflict. He defeated the MacDonnells at the Battle of Glentaisie, despite their appeal for reinforcements from Scotland. His opposition to the MacDonnell's ultimately culminated in his assassination by the Scottish clan, who collected a bounty on his head. Shane O'Neill's life was marked by ongoing struggles for dominance within his own family and in the wider political context of Ireland during a tumultuous period of Gaelic and English rivalries.