Richard Denis Wyer McGillycuddy, The McGillycuddy of the Reeks, died recently after a short illness at the early age of 56. Having lived in France for some years he had returned to Ireland and was living at Ballinea near Mullingar.
Richard McGillycuddy was one of the few hereditary Irish chieftains who could trace his ancestry directly back to the first chief of the clan in 1580. He was an active member of the Standing Council of Irish Chieftains and presided at McGillycuddy clan gatherings in 1991 and 1992.
He attended the meeting where 16 of the 20 (bloodline) chiefs were received at Áras an Uachtaráin by the then president, Mrs Mary Robinson. It was the first time the chieftains had assembled since Kinsale in 1603, though this time they did not gird themselves for battle but repaired to Jury's Hotel.
The McGillycuddys, originally O'Sullivans, were a sept who were devotees of St Mochua. These O'Sullivans called themselves Giolla Mochuda or Servant of St Mochua. By the 16th century the name had evolved into its present version, the Reeks being added to the title in the 18th century. The family controlled a sizeable territory, for in 1588 it was reported that they owned 46 ploughlands and had 30 gallowglasses. But after the Desmond Rebellion and Kinsale, much of their lands were forfeited, though they continued to live at Castlecore.
During the Civil War of 1648, Donough McGillycuddy raised a foot company for the King whose defeat caused him to lose the remnants of his estates to Sir William Petty, "his chief tormentor and the occasion of my calamity". In despair, he burnt his castle and went into exile with the Royal party until the Restoration. His son conformed to the Protestant faith and built the The Reeks, a house that has been much altered and was sold in 1985.
Richard McGillycuddy was the son of Major John McGillycuddy who had been badly wounded in the second World War and died in 1959. His grandfather, Lieut Col Ross McGillycuddy, was a member of the Senate from 1928 until 1943; a remarkable example of the influence which this ancient family has exercised both locally and nationally over several centuries.
Richard McGillycuddy was educated at Eton and then the University of Aix-en- Provence. He worked in London and for the estate agents, Philip Hawkes when he lived in France He married Virginia Astor in 1984 and they have two daughters.
Richard Denis Wyer McGillycuddy, The McGillycuddy of the Reeks: born October 4th, 1948; died December 30th, 2004.