His sister Nuala O'Donnell was married to his kinsman and rival Niall Garve O'Donnell Family Legacy He was highly praised in the Irish language writings of the early seventeenth century for his nobility and religious commitment to the Catholic faith – notably in the Annals of the Four Masters and Beatha Aodh Ruadh Ó Domhnaill ("The Life of Red Hugh O'Donnell") by Lughaidh Ó Cléirigh. Although his posthumous reputation has been somewhat overshadowed by that of his ally Hugh O'Neill, his leadership and military capabilities were considerable, especially considering that he was active at a very young age and only 29 years old at the Battle of Kinsale. His personality seems to have been particularly magnetic, and contemporary sources are united in their praise of his oratorical ability. In 1843, Michael Joseph MacCann wrote the song "O'Donnell Abu" in tribute, drawing on the tradition of romantic nationalism which was popular during the era. In 1977, the Aodh Ruadh O Domhnaill Guild was formed to seek his recognition as a saint of the Catholic Church. In 1991, a plaque was erected at Simancas Castle in commemoration of Red Hugh O'Donnell. In 1992, commemorating the 390th anniversary of the arrival of O'Donnell in Galicia, the Grammy-award-winning composer of Riverdance, Bill Whelan, brought together musicians from Ireland and Galicia and released the symphony From Kinsale to Corunna. In September 2002, Eunan O'Donnell, BL, gave the Simancas Castle Address in honour of Red Hugh, during the O'Donnell Clan Gathering to Spain. Aodh Ruadh CLG in Ballyshannon, County Donegal is named after Red Hugh O'Donnell. Red Hughs GAA club in Crossroads, Killygordon, County Donegal are named after Red Hugh O'Donnell. In popular culture In his 1861 poem Eirinn a' Gul ("Ireland Weeping"), Uilleam Mac Dhunlèibhe, an important figure in 19th century Scottish Gaelic literature, recalled the many stories about his fellow Gaels in Inis Fáil (Ireland) he had heard in the Ceilidh houses of Islay, before that island was emptied by the Highland Clearances. He then lamented the destruction wreaked upon the Irish people by both famine and similar mass evictions ordered by Anglo-Irish landlords. He particularly laments the loss of the Chiefs of the Irish clans, who led their clansmen in war and provided "leadership of the old and true Gaelic kind". Mac Dhun Lèibhe comments sadly that the mid-19th century fighters for Irish republicanism had none of the heroic qualities shown by Red