Chief of the O Donoghue Mor at a time of turbulence known as the Desmond Wars when the Geraldine Earl of Desmond was in rebellion
with Queen Elizabeth. Rory was slain while participating in the rebellion in west Cork in 1583.
Consequently his holdings, 7000 acres north and east of Loch Lein, Ross Castle on the lake
were forfeited and granted to Lord Herbert and then to The McCarthy More who claimed that the O Donoghues were his tenants, a claim with no basis in Irish law.The McCarthy More who ran up huge debts subsequently mortgaged the castle and lands to Lord Herbert. The members of the O Donoghue Mor sept disappeared into obscurity, although it is clear, especially since the yDNA project has been acquiring information, that many members of the tribe have survived in the environs.