If you are very interested in this song, it's worth getting acces to a copy of Éinrí Ó Muirgheasa, "Céad de Cheolta Uladh" (1915), new edition edited by Brother Beausang, published by Comhaltas Uladh, 1983. The songs are in Irish, but the notes are in English and there are three A5 pages of information about song number 6, "Doiminic Ó Dómhnaill. Some of the information is about two other pairs of brothers in Donegal, one a minister and the other a priest. When I was discussing Dominic Ó Dómhnaill with C C Logue, he did mention the two MacLaughlin brothers of Clonmany, Inis Eoghain. I hadn't thought earlier that this detail was worth mentioning on the thread. But it is, for two reasons. From the information given by Ó Muirgheasa, it appears that some of what CC told me about the Ó Dómhnaill brothers actually referred to the MacLaughlins, and he's hardly the first person to combine the two stories. Ó Muirgheasa quotes a passage from O'Harkin, "Inis-Owen; its History, Traditions and Antiquities" (1867). I gather O'Harkin's information is largely from oral tradition. Domhnall and Peter MacLaughlin were being sent to study at a seminar on mainland Europe, but their boat was shipwrecked and they landed on the English coast where an English nobleman offered them shelter. He also offered to have them educated in an English university if they would accept the Established Church. Dómhnall accepted the offer, but Peter refused and continued the journey to 'the continent'.

Dómhnall's brother and his mother were much aggrieved by his apostasy. O'Harkin wrote that Dómhnall MacLaughlin's mother composed a ballad which included lines which he translates as:
Can it ever be spoken how my heart is broken
For thy fall, O'Donnell[*] from the ancient faith.

With less of sorrow could I view to-morrow
My lost one herding on the mountain brown,
Than strange doctrines teaching, and new tenets preaching,
At yon lordly window in his silken gown.

[* understood in this case as "o, Dómhnall" ? - but that would be "a Dhómhnaill", with a 'g' sound, in Irish].

Ó Muirgheasa writes:
"This item of Harkin's history answers so fully in all its essential parts to the story of Dominick O'Donnell that it looks at first sight to be nearly a version of the latter. Of the 'translation' given by O'Harkin the last quatrain is evidently a free rendering of the following version of verse II. which I heard near Dungloe: -

B'fhearr duit bheith buachailleacht bó, Do bhata i do dhorn is pluideog ort, Ná i do shuí ar fhuinneoga ard', Ag éisteacht le glórtha ministir.

"However, Harkin's account is borne out by the traditions still living around Clonmany. The two brothers- McLaughlin - are still familiarly known there as Domhnall Gorm, who became the minister, and Peadar, who became the priest. Their whole history, place of abode, &c., are known to the people living aropund there.
"It is not improbable that there were two songs, one about each pair of brothers, and that these got mixed up, and with them some of the incidents as well.
... ...
"The partial similarity of the names - Dominick O'Domhnaill and Domhnall MacLaughlin - may have contributed to the confusion betweent he two cases, but that the two parallel cases occured I have no doubt, singular as the coincidence may be."

As for Dominic Ó Dómhnaill, his gravestone also mentions his wife Susana, but the date of her death is not legible. "Other inscriptions in this graveyard show that a Richard O'Donnell died 1790 aged 42, and a Rev. William O'Donnell died 1792 aged 56; these would appear to have been children of Dominick's who died before him."

Legend has it that as a young priest, Doiminic was friendly with the Protestant minister of the parish. One day he was visiting the minister's house and found a baby in a cradle unattended and crying. He picked up the baby and soothed it. The two formed an attachment and when this child Susana grew up, doiminic changed his religious affiliation and married her.

One of the verses in the version sung by Máire Ní Dhonnchadha goes

Mo mhallacht go deo do na mná,
Siad a mheall uaimse mo shagairtín
Léigh sé an tAifreann Dé Domhnaigh
Is bhí sé Dé Luain ina mhinistéir

My curse forever on Women,
'Tis they led astray my darling,
He read Mass on Sunday
On Monday became a minister.

(translation by Seán MacMathghamhna)

Watch this thread for further discussion!!