An Irish lord known as “Red Hugh,” whose fiery courage sparked a wave of resistance against English rule. Hugh Roe O’Donnell was born into the powerful and ancient O’Donnell family, one of Ireland’s greatest noble houses. As its heir, he became a threat to the English colonial authorities from a young age. To stamp out the threat of rebellion, English officials set a treacherous trap. In 1587, fifteen-year-old Hugh was lured aboard a ship by men posing as wine merchants and secretly taken to Dublin Castle. He endured five years of imprisonment there, yet his spirit never broke. On a freezing winter night in 1592, he escaped through the foul sewers with the help of allies, losing several toes to the cold before miraculously returning home to assume leadership of the O’Donnell clan. After his return, Hugh turned years of bitterness into open resistance against English rule. In 1598, when elite English forces marched to relieve a besieged stronghold, he seized his chance. Using Ireland’s muddy terrain, hidden trenches, and deadly traps, he...