page_title: Tibbot ne Long Bourke, 1st Viscount Mayo
section_title: Nine Years' War
hierarchical_section_title: Tibbot ne Long Bourke, 1st Viscount Mayo / Nine Years' War
caption_attribution_description: English: Extend of the MacWilliam Iochtar Territory c. 1590
context_page_description: Tibbot na Long Bourke, anglicised as Theobald Bourke, was an Irish peer and parliamentarian. A prominent member of the MacWilliam Burkes of County Mayo, Tibbot was a Member of the Irish House of Commons and was later created the first Viscount Mayo. His successful life followed, and usefully illustrates, the difficult transition for Irish aristocrats from the traditional Gaelic world during the Tudor conquest of Ireland.
  Bourke's name had varying spellings such as "Teabóid" or "Tepóitt" in medieval Irish. Tibbot derived from Thibault, the French for Theobald; and "na Long" meant "of the ships", as he was born on a ship. This was usually rendered in Tudor English as: Tibbott or Tibbot na Long.
context_section_description: On the approach to the Nine Years' War in early 1593, conflict had broken out between the Presidency of Connaught and Hugh Roe O'Donnell of Tyrconnell and Brian Óg O'Rourke of West Breifne. In a letter to O'Rourke, Tibbot vowed to raise an army in Mayo which could coordinate with the rebellious kings of Ulster, if O'Rourke could keep up his war against Bingham for another month. This led to Tibbot's arrest in May 1593 and he was held at Athlone. His mother Grace visited Queen Elizabeth in London in June 1593 and obtained his release. Tibbot agreed to fight some of his Burke cousins who were rebelling, while his son Miles was held as a hostage by Bingham.
  In April 1594 Grace visited Elizabeth again, and finally secured favourable terms of surrender and regrant for Tibbot. The timing of this visit subsequently made a huge difference to him, as the Nine Years' War was starting; as a result The O'Donnell arranged in 1595 for another MacWilliam Burke cousin, Tibbot Kittagh, to replace him as clan chief. Tibbot soon regained his position in Mayo, and unsurprisingly would not join O'Donnell and his main ally Hugh O'Neill in the war. He initially assisted the English government under Clifford, before taking a less active role in the war. Clifford was then totally defeated in 1599 at the Battle of Curlew Pass. While the rebels marched south to their eventual defeat at Kinsale in 1601, he embarked 300 men into three ships, sailed south, and kept both sides guessing who he would help.
caption: Extend of the Mac William Iochtar Territory within County Mayo, c. 1590
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