Presenting a paper on the life of Sir Cathair, Dr Jefferies stressed how Cathair O'Doherty's rebellion in 1608 took everyone by surprise - particularly as he had been extremely loyal to the crown.
"King James I had made him the lord of Inishowen. However, Sir Cathair was driven into rebellion by British officials who would not give him respect.
"Cathair's father, Sir John O'Doherty, the lord of Inishowen died in 1601. Under Irish law the lordship of Inishowen passed to Sir John's brother, Felim. However, under English law Cathair was his father's heir. He became a loyalist to get his inheritance.
"Cathair joined Sir Henry Dowcra, the commander of a massive English Army base set up in Derry in May 1600 during Queen Elizabeth's Nine Years War (1495 – 1603) against Irish Confederates who fought for Irish freedom. Dowcra later admitted that without Cathair's support it would have been 'utterly impossible that we could have made that sure and steady progress in the wars that afterwards we did'. Cathair became an English gentleman, in the way he dressed and spoke, and he fought as an English soldier. He was knighted for bravery by Lord Mountjoy, Queen Elizabeth's viceroy, in 1602.
"When the war was ended Sir Cathair O'Doherty became the lord of Inishowen, a Justice of the Peace and an alderman of the small town of Derry. He was friendly with the English Army commanders in Derry. By all accounts he was happy to be loyal to the British king, James Stuart.
"However, in 1606 George Montgomery, the first Protestant bishop of Derry, arrived and coveted every piece of land he could possibly get. He sued Sir Cathair in the king's courts and, being one of the king's 'favourites', won his case. About the same time Sir George Paulett arrived as the new governor of Derry. Paulett would not treat O'Doherty with respect. He insulted him. He lied that Sir Cathair was a rebel and he tried to get his lands. When Sir Cathair complained about Paulett's mistreatment of him, he was put into prison until he handed over a large sum of money to guarantee his loyalty! For Sir Cathair, who fought for the crown in the Nine Years War, that was utter humiliation.
"When Paulett scorned him again and slapped him in the face, Sir Cathair had had enough. He had been as loyal to the crown as he possibly could be, but he found that being an Irish Catholic meant that he did not get the respect he deserved. In April 1608 he rebelled.
"On 19 April 1608 Sir Cathair with 100 men captured Derry. The British people in Derry were allowed to leave before the town was burnt to the ground, 'leaving only chimneys and some stone walls standing'. However, Sir Cathair found that very few Irish people trusted the former loyalist. His rebellion was hopeless.
"Derry was recaptured by English soldiers on 20 May 1608. Sir Cathair's chief castle, at Burt, was taken on 1 July 1608, and four days later he was killed in a skirmish near Kilmacrennan, County Donegal. His rebellion was over.
"Sir Cathair's head was stuck on a spike in Dublin as a warning of the fate of rebels. He was only 21 when he died. His experiences as an Irish Catholic loyalist did not inspire other Irish lords to become loyal British subjects!
"Dr Henry Jefferies is the Head of History at Thornhill College and a Visiting Fellow in the Academy of Irish Cultural Heritages at Magee College."