Rickard de Bermingham Rickard de Bermingham ( died 1322 ) , aka Rickard Mac Fheorais , was Anglo - Irish lord of Athenry . Family background . Rickard is reckoned third lord of Athenry and Dunmore , both in County Galway . He was a grandson of Meyler de Bermingham , the founder of Athenry . He was the chief tenent in south Connacht of Richard Og de Burgh , 2nd Earl of Ulster , who ' s desmene lands stretched from the port town of Galway to Meelick on the River Shannon , de Burgh ' s " caput " been the town of Loughrea . Despite his ethnic background , de Bermingham and his family are always described in the Gaelic - Irish annals as " Mac Fheorais " , indicating his descent from Peter ( " Piarus " , a quo ( " Fheorais " ) de Bermingham . The identity of Rickard ' s mother is uncertain though it is thought she was Gaelic , possibly an O ' Kelly . This may explain why the family were regarded as at least semi - Gaelic by bards and seanchai so early in their history . Alternatively , the appellation Mac Fheorais may have begun with Peter of Tethmoy , father of Rickard ' s grandfather , Meyler de Bermingham . Rickard is described in Leabhar na nGenealach as : " Risteard na gCath [ = of the battles ] – the battle of Ath na Riogh [ = Athenry ] , the battle of Cnoc an Tochair [ = Knocktopher ] and the battle of Fionnlugh " Lord of Athenry . He succeeded his father , Peter , around 1309 . He had land around the Moy in northern Connacht , but his main estate lady between Dunmore and Athenry in what is now County Galway , the " caput " of the lordship been based at the latter town . Immediately due east was the Gaelic kingdom of Ui Maine , which had only been lightly settled by the Anglo - Irish , mainly along the border between it and the lordship . In 1310 he obtained a murage charter , to enable him to enclose Athenry in stone walls . When finished , they enclosed over one hundred acres on the west bank of the Clarin river , making it one of the largest walled towns in Ireland . Over two - thirds of the walls still remain , almost unique for a town of medieval Ireland and Great Britain . Some six round watch - towers were included in the walls , most of which survive in some form , two exceptionally well - preserved . He also extended and raised Athenry Castle . When work was completed c . 1315 , it stood over three stories and had a vaulted roof , thought to be slated as thatch would make it vulnerable to lighting , fire - arrows , and accident . It was situated at the north edge of the town , overlooking the Tuam and Monivea roads . It was abandoned by Rickard ' s descedents c . 1550 , but the stone work survived almost intact . It was refurbished and re - roofed in 1990 and is at present open to the public . Finally , he incorporated the Clarin into the town moat , and built a number of tower - gate s along the wall . The total number is uncertain but it is thought there were around four . Only one partially restored gate , the North Gate , now survives , though it may date from as much as one hundred years later . Connacht Wars of 1315 – 16 . During the Connacht Wars of 1315 – 16 ( an offshoot of the Irish Bruce Wars 1315 – 1318 , de Bermingham defended the Anglo - Irish colony in Connacht against Ruaidhri O Conchobair , who was supported by Prince Edward Bruce in his wish to become King of Connacht . Ruaidhri defeated the then king , Fedlim Ó Conchobair , who turned to the Anglo - Irish such as de Bermingham for help . A coalition of Gaelic and Anglo forces defeated and killed Ruaidhri at the battle of Mullach Fidicci in north Galway , in January 1316 . De Bermingham was wounded , how seriously is unknown . After the battle , Fedlim betrayed his Anglo - Irish allies . He began destroying their settlements , killing their inhabitants and stealing their goods , his ultimate aim to exterminate the entire colony and re - establish an independent Connacht kingship , and later , establish himself as King of Ireland . Due to the on - going warfare with Edward Bruce in Meath and Leinster , no help was forthcoming and the Anglo - Irish of Connacht were left to fend for themselves . Famine had broken out the previous year and its effect exacerbated the situation . Second Battle of Athenry . Sir William Liath de Burgh had been captured at the battle of Connor in 1315 and had been held hostage in Scotland . Sometime in early , the Earl of Ulster obtained his release . De Burgh arrived back in Connacht with new forces and made his way to Athenry to support de Bermingham . Upon hearing of this , King Fedlim broke off a march towards Roscommon , assembled an army estimated as much as eight thousand , and marched towards Athenry , intending to raze it to the ground . The exact circumstances surrounding the events , and location , of the Second Battle of Athenry are obscure . All that can be said with certainty is that it was fought somewhere very close to the town on 10 August 1316 , and the Gaelic - Irish forces were comprehensively defeated . John Clyn states that one thousand five hundred heads were collected from the battlefield and sent to Dublin for bounty . among the dead were King Fedlim and Tadhg Ó Cellaigh , King of Ui Maine . Their heads were afterwards set on pikes on either side of the town gate . This image is still the coat of arms of Athenry . Due to a falling - out with King Fedlim , Muirchertach O Brian , Prince of Thomond , defected at some point and aided de Bermingham and de Burgh in defending the town . He became undisputed king of Thomond in 1318 . In the same year , Rickard ' s kinsman , John de Bermingham of Offaly , fought and defeated Edward Bruce at Faughart , for which he was made Earl of Louth . Local tradition holds that a soldier prayed for deliverance at Lady ' s Well , one mile east of the town , on the day of the battle , and was rewarded with a vision of the Virgin Mary . The soldier may have been Rickard de Bermingham . Children . Rickard was succeeded by his son Thomas in 1322 . Another son , Risteard Ruadh , is listed by Dubhaltach Mac Fhirbhisigh as an ancestor of " The family of Feorus of Clar Cairbre " , giving a descend for a " Eabhard Mac Feorais from An Charraig s . Baitear s . Seaan " over thirteen generations inclusive , though part of the pedigree is faulty . One " Baitear mc Risder an Chatha " is given in the same work as the ancestor of a line whose pedigree is given as " Thomas s . Risteard an Bhealaigh s . Maoilir Buidhe s . Thomas Og ( or Dubh ) s . Thomas na Feasoige [ = of the beard ] s . Baitear s . Risteard an Chatha . " They are listed as of Dunmore , County Galway . Select genealogy . Peter ( Piers ) of Tethmoy , d . 1254