Margaret O’Connor

Margaret O’Connor is another name for Máirgréag Ní Chearbhaill.

Máirgréag Ní Chearbhaill (Margaret O’Carroll) was an Irish noblewoman and patron of literature and the arts. She was married to one of the last kings of Uí Fáilghe (anglicized as Offaly), an ancient kingdom of Ireland. According to the Annals of Connacht, she was “the darling of all the Leinster people,” having “made most causeways, churches, books, chalices, and all articles useful for the service of the church.” In 1433, she hosted two magnificent feasts, inviting poets, musicians, and historians from all over Ireland. For this she earned the affectionate title “Margaret of the Hospitality.” The Annals record that she died of a “cancer in the breast” in 1451.