Cahir O'Doherty

Sir Cahir O'Doherty (Irish: Cathaoir Ó Dochartaigh or Caṫaoir Ó Doċartaiġ; 1587 – 5 July 1608) was the last Gaelic Irish chief of the O'Doherty clan, who in 1608 launched a failed rebellion against the English crown.

O'Doherty was the eldest son of clan chief John O'Doherty, ruler of Inishowen. O'Doherty and his father initially fought for the Irish confederacy in the Nine Years' War. Following his father's death, his clan became embroiled in a succession dispute. O'Doherty, aged 15, defected to the English and became known as the Queen's O'Doherty for his service on the Crown's side. After the war, O'Doherty had ambitions to become a courtier and applied for a position in the household of Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, but he increasingly came into dispute with Irish-based officials such as the Viceroy Sir Arthur Chichester and the Governor of Derry Sir George Paulet. In 1608 he launched a rebellion, seizing Derry from Paulet and burning it to the ground. O'Doherty was subsequently killed in a battle at Kilmacrennan, and the rebellion swiftly collapsed.