by a severe illness. He embarked at Cherbourg, and landed at Skerries, a little to the north of Dublin, about the beginning of September. His baggage and papers he had sent by another vessel, which was captured by pirates, and in this way government was apprised of his intentions, and caused a sharp outlook to be kept for him at the principal ports. Disguising himself, and attended by only one companion. Father John Dillon, he made his way to Waterford; but being recognised there by a government agent, he retraced his steps to Slane Castle, where he lay for some time concealed in a secret chamber. Becoming more confident, he appeared at the public table, where his conversation aroused the suspicions of the chancellor. Sir Robert Dillon. Finding himself suspected, he proceeded by a circuitous route to Carrick-on-Suir, where, with Ormonde's help, he was shortly afterwards, about the beginning of October, captured. He was taken to Dublin, and committed to prison. Being brought before the lords-justices Archbishop Loft us and Sir Henry Wallop for examination, little of importance was elicited from him, though he admitted that he was 'one of the House of Inciuisition,' and his papers revealed his correspondence with the Earl of Desmond and viscount Baltinglas. Walsingham recommended the use of 'torture, or any other severe manner of proceeding to gain his knowledge of all foreign practices against her majesty's state;' but the lords justices, especially Loftus, were loth, out of respect for his position and learning, to resort to such extreme measures, and, on the ground that they had neither rack nor other instrument of terror, advised that he should be sent to London. Walsingham, however, impressed with the dangerous nature of his mission, suggested toasting his feet against the fire with hot boots, and a commission having been made out to Waterhouse and Fenton for that purpose, O'Hurley was subjected to the most excruciating torture, He bore the ordeal with extraordinary patience and heroism, and was taken back to 'prison more dead than alive. Torture having failed, and government being advised that ' an indictment for treason committed abroad would not lie, and fearing to run the risk of a trial by jury, O'Hurley, after nine months' imprisonment, was condemned by martial law. The warrant for his execution was signed by Loft us and Wallop on 20 June 1584, and next day, very early in the morning, he was executed, being hanged for greater ignominy with a withen rope, at a lonely spot in the outskirts of the city, probably near where the Catholic University Church now stands in St. Stephen's Green. His remains were interred at the place of execution, but were privately removed by William Fitzsimon, a citizen of Dublin, who placed them in a wooden urn, and deposited them in the church of St. Kevin. His grave became famous among the faithful for several miracles reputed to have taken place there.
According to Stanihurst (Descript. of Ireland, ch. vii.), one Derby Hurley, 'a civilian and philosopher,' wrote 'In Aristotelis Physica.'
[Rothe's Analects Sacra nova et mira de rebus Catholicorum in Hibernia, ed. Moran, Dublin, 1884, contains nearly all that is known about him. Rothe's account has been translated, with additions and notes, by Myles O'Reilly in Memorials of those who suffered for the Catholic Faith in Ireland, London, 1868, pp. 55–84. A short devotional life by Dean Kinane was published at Dublin in 1893. In R. Verstegan's Theatrum Crudelitatum Hereticorum nostri temporis there is a sketch of O'Hurley undergoing torture and of his death by hanging. Bruodinus (Catalogue Martyrum Hibernorum. p. 447) adds other tortures besides 'the boot,' for which there is no good authority. Other references are: Records of the English Catholics, vol. ii., containing Letters and Memorials of Cardinal Allen, pp. 151. 155, 156, 162; Cardinal Moran's Spicilegium Ossoriense, i. 80; Brady's Episcopal Succession, ii. 10–22; O'Sullevan Beare's Historiæ Iberniæ Compendium, tom. 2, lib. iv. ch. xix, translated in Renehan's Collections, p. 253; Irish Ecclesiastical Record, i. 475; Bagwell's Ireland under the Tudors, iii. 116.]
O'HUSSEY, EOCHAIDH (fl. 1630), Irish poet, in Irish Ua hEodhasa, belonged to a northern family of hereditary poets and historians, of which the earliest famous member was Aenghus, who died in 1360. Another Aenghus died in 1480, and in 1518 Ciothruadh, son of Athairne O'Hussey, whose poem, 'Buime na bhfileadh fuil Ruarcach' ('Nurse of the poets, the blood of the O'Rourkes'), is still extant. Soon after his time the family became chief poets to Maguire of Fermanagh. Eochaidh began to write when very young (in 1593), and his earliest poem is on the escape of Aedh ruadh O'Donnell from Dublin Castle in 1592. It contains 228 verses. He wrote four poems, of 228 verses in all, on Cuchonacht Maguire, lord of Fermanagh, and seven poems on his son, Hugh Maguire [q. v.] He travelled and, like all the poets, wrote panegyrics on his hosts. Of this kind are his poems, of two hundred verses, on Tadhg O'Rourke of Breifne; on Eoghan óg MacSweeny of Donegal; on Feidhlimidh O'Beirne, and on Richard de Burgo Mac William of Connaught. He wrote a poetic address of 152 verses to Hugh O'Neill, the great earl of Tyrone [q. v.], and
