Rourke

The Rourkes, Gaelic Ó Ruairc, were Breifne's royal line and, after 1256, kings of West Breifne, later County Leitrim. King Tighearnán Ó Ruairc was betrayed and killed in talks with the Anglo-Normans in 1172. The battle of Magh Slecht in 1256 split the kingdom: the Rourkes held the west from Dromahair, while the Reillys ruled the east.

West Breifne was shired as Leitrim in 1583. Brian na Múrtha Ó Ruairc rebelled against English terms, fled to Scotland in 1591, and was arrested at Elizabeth I's demand and hanged, drawn and quartered in London.

His son Brian Óg joined the Nine Years' War, swearing loyalty to Spain in 1595. After defeat in 1603 and Sir Tadhg O'Rourke's death in 1605, Tadhg's young sons were declared illegitimate in 1619, clearing the way for the Plantation of Leitrim and the end of the lordship.