O'Brien
Encyclopedia
The O'Brien dynasty are a royal and noble
house founded in the 10th century by Brian Boru
of the Dál gCais
or Dalcassians. After becoming King of Munster, through conquest he established himself as High King of Ireland
. Brian's descendants thus carried the name O'Brien, continuing to rule the Kingdom of Munster until the 12th century where their territory had shrunk to the Kingdom of Thomond which they would hold for just under five centuries.
In total, four O'Briens ruled in Munster, and two held the High Kingship of Ireland (with opposition). After the partition of Munster into Thomond and the MacCarthy Kingdom of Desmond by Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair in the 12th century, the dynasty would go on to provide around thirty monarchs of Thomond until 1542. During part of this period in the late 13th century they had a rivalry with the Norman de Clare
house, disputing the throne of Thomond. The last O'Brien to reign in Thomond was Murrough O'Brien
who surrendered his sovereignty to the new Kingdom of Ireland
under Henry VIII
of the House of Tudor, becoming instead Earl of Thomond
and maintaining a role in governance. Today the head carries the title of Prince of Thomond
, and depending on succession sometimes also Baron Inchiquin
.
Throughout the time that the O'Briens ruled in medieval Ireland, the system of tanistry
was used to decide succession, rather than primogeniture
used by much of feudal Europe
. The system in effect was a dynastic monarchy but family-elected
and aristocratic
, in the sense that the royal family chose the most suitable male candidate from close paternal relations—roydammna (those of kingly material) rather than the crown automatically passing to the eldest son. This sometimes led to bitter quarrels and in-family warring. Since 1542, the head of the O'Brien house adopted primogeniture to decide succession of noble titles instead.
, the father of Cormac Cas was said to be Oilioll Olum
, who was according to tradition King of Munster and King of Leinster in the 3rd century. Such a connection would have meant that the race held kinship with the Eoghanachta
who had dominated Munster since the earliest times. While founder mythologies were very common in antiquity and the medieval world, such a connection is generally regarded as fanciful and politically motivated in the context of the rise to prominence of the Dalcassians.
Instead, academic histories generally accept the Dalcassians as being the Déisi Tuisceart, after adopting a new name — first recorded under their newly adopted name under the year 934 in the Annals of Inisfallen
. The Déisi
, a people whose name means literally vassals, were originally located where today is Waterford
, south Tipperary
and Limerick
; the O'Rahilly's historical model
counts them as ethnically Érainn; the sept split into the Déisi Muman
who continued to hold territory in Waterford and Tipperary, while the west Déisi controlled areas either side of the River Shannon
. During the 8th century, the latter was further divided into the Déisi Deiscirt and the Déisi Tuisceart who would become the Dalcassians. Prehistoric ancestors of the Déisi Tuisceart and Dál gCais may have been a once prominent Érainn people called the Mairtine
.
It was during this century that the race annexed to Munster the area today known as Clare
and made it their home. Taken from the weakened Uí Fiachrach Aidhne
it had previously been part of Connacht
but was renamed Thomond
(Tuamhain, meaning North Munster). After gaining influence over other tribes in the area such as the Corcu Mruad and Corcu Baiscinn, the Dalcassians were able to crown Cennétig mac Lorcáin
as King of Thomond, he died in 951. His son Mathgamain mac Cennétig
was to expand their territory further according to the Annals of Ulster
; capturing the Rock of Cashel
capital of the Eoghanachta, the Dalcassians became Kings of Cashel and Munster
over their previous overlords for the first time in history.
Mathgamain along with his younger brother Brian Boru
began military campaigns such as the Battle of Sulcoit
, against the Norse Vikings of the settlement Limerick
, ruled by Ivar
. The Dalcassians were successful, plundering spoils of jewels, gold and silver, saddles, finding "soft, youthful, bright girls, booming silk-clad women and active well-formed boys". The males fit for war were executed at Saingel, while the rest were taken as slaves. Through much of his reign Mathgamain was competing with his Eoghanachta rival Máel Muad mac Brain
. Mathgamain was only defeated in the end by a piece of treachery; he believed he was attending a friendly meeting, but was betrayed at Donnubán mac Cathail
's house, handed over to his enemies and executed in 976. The crown of Munster was briefly back in the hands of the Eoghanachta for two years until Brian Boru had thoroughly avenged his brother, with the defeat and slaying of Máel Muad in the Battle of Belach Lechta
.
The following year Brian came to blows with the Norsemen of Limerick at Scattery Island where a monastery was located. Whilst all parties were Christians, when their king Ivar and his sons took refuge in the monastery, Brian desecrated it and killed them in the sanctuary
; the Vikings of Limerick had earlier killed Brian's mother. Following this the Dalcassians came into conflict with those responsible for the death of Mathgamain, the Eoghanachta represented by Donovan and Molloy. A message was sent to Molloy, where Boru's son Murrough would challenge him in single combat; eventually the Battle of Belach Lechta took place where Molloy along with 1200 of his soldiers were slain. Donovan was destroyed together with Aralt, his brother-in-law and Ivar's remaining son, newly elected king of the Danes and Foreigners of Munster, in Donovan's fortress of Cathair Cuan, which Brian razed. With this Brian Boru was now the King of Munster.
Brian's rise did not go unnoticed, however; Máel Sechnaill II
from the Clann Cholmáin
sept of the Uí Néill
, as reigning king of Mide and High King of Ireland
marched an army down to Munster to send a warning to the Dalcassians. His army cut down the tree of Magh Adhair, which was sacred to the Dalcassians as it was used as their site of royal inaugurations.
Earls of Thomond
Earls of Inchiquin
Marquesses of Thomond
Early Barons Inchiquin
Viscounts Clare
O'Brien's of Aran
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
house founded in the 10th century by Brian Boru
Brian Boru
Brian Bóruma mac Cennétig, , , was an Irish king who ended the domination of the High Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill. Building on the achievements of his father, Cennétig mac Lorcain, and especially his elder brother, Mathgamain, Brian first made himself King of Munster, then subjugated...
of the Dál gCais
Dál gCais
The Dál gCais were a dynastic group of related septs located in north Munster who rose to political prominence in the 10th century AD in Ireland. They claimed descent from Cormac Cas, or Cas mac Conall Echlúath, hence the term "Dál", meaning "portion" or "share" of Cas...
or Dalcassians. After becoming King of Munster, through conquest he established himself as High King of Ireland
High King of Ireland
The High Kings of Ireland were sometimes historical and sometimes legendary figures who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over the whole of Ireland. Medieval and early modern Irish literature portrays an almost unbroken sequence of High Kings, ruling from Tara over a hierarchy of...
. Brian's descendants thus carried the name O'Brien, continuing to rule the Kingdom of Munster until the 12th century where their territory had shrunk to the Kingdom of Thomond which they would hold for just under five centuries.
In total, four O'Briens ruled in Munster, and two held the High Kingship of Ireland (with opposition). After the partition of Munster into Thomond and the MacCarthy Kingdom of Desmond by Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair in the 12th century, the dynasty would go on to provide around thirty monarchs of Thomond until 1542. During part of this period in the late 13th century they had a rivalry with the Norman de Clare
De Clare
The de Clare family of Norman lords were associated with the Welsh Marches, Suffolk, Surrey, Kent and Ireland. They were descended from Richard fitz Gilbert, who accompanied William the Conqueror into England during the Norman conquest of England.-Origins:The Clare family descends from Gilbert...
house, disputing the throne of Thomond. The last O'Brien to reign in Thomond was Murrough O'Brien
Murrough O'Brien, 1st Earl of Thomond
Murrough O'Brien, 1st Earl of Thomond was the last King of Thomond.A member of the Irish nobility, he was the son of Turlough O'Brien, King of Thomond and Raghnailt McNamara and also brother of Connor O'Brien, King of Thomond, who was inaugurated King of Thomond in 1528...
who surrendered his sovereignty to the new Kingdom of Ireland
Kingdom of Ireland
The Kingdom of Ireland refers to the country of Ireland in the period between the proclamation of Henry VIII as King of Ireland by the Crown of Ireland Act 1542 and the Act of Union in 1800. It replaced the Lordship of Ireland, which had been created in 1171...
under Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
of the House of Tudor, becoming instead Earl of Thomond
Earl of Thomond
"Earl of Thomond" was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created twice for the family of Ó Briain. The O'Brien dynasty were an ancient Irish sept native to north Munster....
and maintaining a role in governance. Today the head carries the title of Prince of Thomond
Irish nobility
This article concerns the Gaelic nobility of Ireland from ancient to modern times. It only partly overlaps with Chiefs of the Name because it excludes Scotland and other discussion...
, and depending on succession sometimes also Baron Inchiquin
Baron Inchiquin
Baron Inchiquin is one of the older titles in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1543 for Murrough O'Brien, Prince of Thomond, who was descended from the great high king Brian Boru)...
.
Throughout the time that the O'Briens ruled in medieval Ireland, the system of tanistry
Tanistry
Tanistry was a Gaelic system for passing on titles and lands. In this system the Tanist was the office of heir-apparent, or second-in-command, among the Gaelic patrilineal dynasties of Ireland, Scotland and Man, to succeed to the chieftainship or to the kingship.-Origins:The Tanist was chosen from...
was used to decide succession, rather than primogeniture
Primogeniture
Primogeniture is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn to inherit the entire estate, to the exclusion of younger siblings . Historically, the term implied male primogeniture, to the exclusion of females...
used by much of feudal Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The system in effect was a dynastic monarchy but family-elected
Elective monarchy
An elective monarchy is a monarchy ruled by an elected rather than hereditary monarch. The manner of election, the nature of the candidacy and the electors vary from case to case...
and aristocratic
Aristocracy (class)
The aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in a society which has or once had a political system of Aristocracy. Aristocrats possess hereditary titles granted by a monarch, which once granted them feudal or legal privileges, or deriving, as in Ancient Greece and India,...
, in the sense that the royal family chose the most suitable male candidate from close paternal relations—roydammna (those of kingly material) rather than the crown automatically passing to the eldest son. This sometimes led to bitter quarrels and in-family warring. Since 1542, the head of the O'Brien house adopted primogeniture to decide succession of noble titles instead.
Background
The O'Briens emerged as chiefs of the Dalcassian race from the south-west of Ireland — a cohesive set of septs, related by blood, all claiming descent in tradition from a common ancestor of Cormac Cas. In the Annals of the Four MastersAnnals of the Four Masters
The Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland or the Annals of the Four Masters are a chronicle of medieval Irish history...
, the father of Cormac Cas was said to be Oilioll Olum
Ailill Aulom
In Irish traditional history Ailill Ollamh , son of Mug Nuadat, was a king of the southern half of Ireland. Sabia, daughter of Conn of the Hundred Battles, was his wife. He divided the kingdom between his sons Éogan, Cormac Cas, and Cian. Éogan founded the dynasty of the Eóganachta...
, who was according to tradition King of Munster and King of Leinster in the 3rd century. Such a connection would have meant that the race held kinship with the Eoghanachta
Eóganachta
The Eóganachta or Eoghanachta were an Irish dynasty centred around Cashel which dominated southern Ireland from the 6/7th to the 10th centuries, and following that, in a restricted form, the Kingdom of Desmond, and its offshoot Carbery, well into the 16th century...
who had dominated Munster since the earliest times. While founder mythologies were very common in antiquity and the medieval world, such a connection is generally regarded as fanciful and politically motivated in the context of the rise to prominence of the Dalcassians.
Instead, academic histories generally accept the Dalcassians as being the Déisi Tuisceart, after adopting a new name — first recorded under their newly adopted name under the year 934 in the Annals of Inisfallen
Annals of Inisfallen
The Annals of Inisfallen are a chronicle of the medieval history of Ireland. There are more than 2,500 entries spanning the years between AD 433 and AD 1450, but it is believed to have been written between the 12th and 15th centuries...
. The Déisi
Déisi
The Déisi were a class of peoples in ancient and medieval Ireland. The term is Old Irish, and derives from the word déis, meaning "vassal" or "subject"; in its original sense, it designated groups who were vassals or rent-payers to a landowner. Later, it became a proper name for certain septs and...
, a people whose name means literally vassals, were originally located where today is Waterford
County Waterford
*Abbeyside, Affane, Aglish, Annestown, An Rinn, Ardmore*Ballinacourty, Ballinameela, Ballinamult, Ballinroad, Ballybeg, Ballybricken, Ballyduff Lower, Ballyduff Upper, Ballydurn, Ballygunner, Ballylaneen, Ballymacarbry, Ballymacart, Ballynaneashagh, Ballysaggart, Ballytruckle, Bilberry, Bunmahon,...
, south Tipperary
County Tipperary
County Tipperary is a county of Ireland. It is located in the province of Munster and is named after the town of Tipperary. The area of the county does not have a single local authority; local government is split between two authorities. In North Tipperary, part of the Mid-West Region, local...
and Limerick
County Limerick
It is thought that humans had established themselves in the Lough Gur area of the county as early as 3000 BC, while megalithic remains found at Duntryleague date back further to 3500 BC...
; the O'Rahilly's historical model
O'Rahilly's historical model
O'Rahilly's historical model is a theory of Irish prehistory put forward by Celtic scholar T. F. O'Rahilly in 1946. It was based on his study of the influences on the Irish language and a critical analysis of Irish mythology....
counts them as ethnically Érainn; the sept split into the Déisi Muman
Déisi
The Déisi were a class of peoples in ancient and medieval Ireland. The term is Old Irish, and derives from the word déis, meaning "vassal" or "subject"; in its original sense, it designated groups who were vassals or rent-payers to a landowner. Later, it became a proper name for certain septs and...
who continued to hold territory in Waterford and Tipperary, while the west Déisi controlled areas either side of the River Shannon
River Shannon
The River Shannon is the longest river in Ireland at . It divides the west of Ireland from the east and south . County Clare, being west of the Shannon but part of the province of Munster, is the major exception...
. During the 8th century, the latter was further divided into the Déisi Deiscirt and the Déisi Tuisceart who would become the Dalcassians. Prehistoric ancestors of the Déisi Tuisceart and Dál gCais may have been a once prominent Érainn people called the Mairtine
Mairtine
The Mairtine were an important people of late prehistoric Munster, Ireland, who by early historical times appear to have completely vanished from the Irish political landscape...
.
It was during this century that the race annexed to Munster the area today known as Clare
County Clare
-History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones...
and made it their home. Taken from the weakened Uí Fiachrach Aidhne
Uí Fiachrach Aidhne
Uí Fhiachrach Aidhne was a kingdom located in what is now the south of Co. Galway.-Legendary origins and geography:...
it had previously been part of Connacht
Connacht
Connacht , formerly anglicised as Connaught, is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the west of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for...
but was renamed Thomond
Thomond
Thomond The region of Ireland associated with the name Thomond is County Clare, County Limerick and north County Tipperary; effectively most of north Munster. The name is used by a variety of establishments and organisations located in , or associated with the region...
(Tuamhain, meaning North Munster). After gaining influence over other tribes in the area such as the Corcu Mruad and Corcu Baiscinn, the Dalcassians were able to crown Cennétig mac Lorcáin
Cennétig mac Lorcáin
Cennétig mac Lorcáin was an Irish king. He was the father of Brian Boru.-Reign:Cennétig was king of the Dál gCais, one of the tribes of the Déisi, subject peoples in Munster. Their name was new, first recorded in the 930s, and they had previously been an undistinguished part of the northern Déisi...
as King of Thomond, he died in 951. His son Mathgamain mac Cennétig
Mathgamain mac Cennétig
Mathgamain mac Cennétig was King of Munster from around 970 to his death in 976. He is the elder brother of Brian Bóruma and the ancestor of the McMahon family of County Clare in Western Ireland ....
was to expand their territory further according to the Annals of Ulster
Annals of Ulster
The Annals of Ulster are annals of medieval Ireland. The entries span the years between AD 431 to AD 1540. The entries up to AD 1489 were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luinín, under his patron Cathal Óg Mac Maghnusa on the island of Belle Isle on Lough Erne in the...
; capturing the Rock of Cashel
Rock of Cashel
The Rock of Cashel , also known as Cashel of the Kings and St. Patrick's Rock, is a historic site in Ireland's province of Munster, located at Cashel, South Tipperary.-History:...
capital of the Eoghanachta, the Dalcassians became Kings of Cashel and Munster
Kings of Munster
The name Munster is derived from the Gaelic God, Muman. The province of Munster was once divided into six regions: Tuadh Mhuman , Des Mhuman , Aur/Ur Mumhan , Iar mumhan or Iarmuman , Ernaibh Muman , and Deisi Muman...
over their previous overlords for the first time in history.
Mathgamain along with his younger brother Brian Boru
Brian Boru
Brian Bóruma mac Cennétig, , , was an Irish king who ended the domination of the High Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill. Building on the achievements of his father, Cennétig mac Lorcain, and especially his elder brother, Mathgamain, Brian first made himself King of Munster, then subjugated...
began military campaigns such as the Battle of Sulcoit
Battle of Sulcoit
The Battle of Sulcoit was an important victory for the rising Dál gCais against their enemies, the Norse of Limerick under Ivar of Limerick. The Dál gCais army was led by Mathgamain mac Cennétig with the possible assistance of his younger brother Brian Bóruma....
, against the Norse Vikings of the settlement Limerick
Limerick
Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...
, ruled by Ivar
Ivar of Limerick
Ivar of Limerick , died 977, was the last Norse king of the city-state of Limerick, and penultimate King of the Foreigners of Munster, reigning during the rise to power of the Dál gCais and the fall of the Eóganachta...
. The Dalcassians were successful, plundering spoils of jewels, gold and silver, saddles, finding "soft, youthful, bright girls, booming silk-clad women and active well-formed boys". The males fit for war were executed at Saingel, while the rest were taken as slaves. Through much of his reign Mathgamain was competing with his Eoghanachta rival Máel Muad mac Brain
Máel Muad mac Brain
Máel Muad mac Brain , commonly anglicised Molloy, was King of Munster, first possibly from 959 or alternatively 963 to around 970, when he may have been deposed by Mathgamain mac Cennétig of the Dál gCais, and then again from 976, following his putting to death of the latter, until his own death...
. Mathgamain was only defeated in the end by a piece of treachery; he believed he was attending a friendly meeting, but was betrayed at Donnubán mac Cathail
Donnubán mac Cathail
Donnubán , Donndubán , or Donnabán mac Cathail, anglicised Donovan, son of Cahall , was a 10th century ruler of the Irish regional kingdom of Uí Fidgenti, and possibly also of the smaller overkingdom of Uí Chairpre Áebda within that...
's house, handed over to his enemies and executed in 976. The crown of Munster was briefly back in the hands of the Eoghanachta for two years until Brian Boru had thoroughly avenged his brother, with the defeat and slaying of Máel Muad in the Battle of Belach Lechta
Battle of Belach Lechta
The Battle of Belach Lechta or Bealach Leachta was an important battle fought in 978 in Munster between Máel Muad mac Brain, King of Munster, and Brian Bóruma, younger brother of Mathgamain mac Cennétig and future High King of Ireland...
.
Rise of Brian Boru
The following year Brian came to blows with the Norsemen of Limerick at Scattery Island where a monastery was located. Whilst all parties were Christians, when their king Ivar and his sons took refuge in the monastery, Brian desecrated it and killed them in the sanctuary
Sanctuary
A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...
; the Vikings of Limerick had earlier killed Brian's mother. Following this the Dalcassians came into conflict with those responsible for the death of Mathgamain, the Eoghanachta represented by Donovan and Molloy. A message was sent to Molloy, where Boru's son Murrough would challenge him in single combat; eventually the Battle of Belach Lechta took place where Molloy along with 1200 of his soldiers were slain. Donovan was destroyed together with Aralt, his brother-in-law and Ivar's remaining son, newly elected king of the Danes and Foreigners of Munster, in Donovan's fortress of Cathair Cuan, which Brian razed. With this Brian Boru was now the King of Munster.
Brian's rise did not go unnoticed, however; Máel Sechnaill II
Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill
Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill , also called Máel Sechnaill Mór, Máel Sechnaill II, anglicized Malachy II, was King of Mide and High King of Ireland...
from the Clann Cholmáin
Clann Cholmáin
Clann Cholmáin is the name of the dynasty descended from Colmán Mór , son of Diarmait mac Cerbaill. Part of the Southern Uí Néill — they were the kings of Mide — they traced their descent to Niall Noígiallach and his son Conall Cremthainne.Related dynasties descended through Conall...
sept of the Uí Néill
Uí Néill
The Uí Néill are Irish and Scottish dynasties who claim descent from Niall Noigiallach , an historical King of Tara who died about 405....
, as reigning king of Mide and High King of Ireland
High King of Ireland
The High Kings of Ireland were sometimes historical and sometimes legendary figures who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over the whole of Ireland. Medieval and early modern Irish literature portrays an almost unbroken sequence of High Kings, ruling from Tara over a hierarchy of...
marched an army down to Munster to send a warning to the Dalcassians. His army cut down the tree of Magh Adhair, which was sacred to the Dalcassians as it was used as their site of royal inaugurations.
Dynasts
- Donnchad mac BriainDonnchad mac BriainDonnchadh mac Briain , formerly anglicised as Donough O'Brian, son of Brian Bóruma and Gormflaith ingen Murchada, was King of Munster.-Background:...
, King of Munster - Tadc mac BriainTadc mac BriainTadc or Tadg mac Briain was the son of Brian Boru and Echrad, daughter of Carlus mac Ailella of Uí Áeda Odba. Tadc had one son, Toirdelbach Ua Briain , with his wife Mór, daughter of Gilla Brigte Ua Maíl Muaid of Cenél Fiachach....
, assassinated by Donnchad in 1023 - Toirdelbach Ua Briain, King of Munster and High King of Ireland
- Muirchertach Ua Briain, King of Munster and High King of Ireland
- Diarmait Ua BriainDiarmait Ua BriainDiarmait Ua Briain was a 11th century Irish king who ruled Munster from 1114 to 1118.One of three sons of Toirdelbach Ua Briain, he was banished from Munster by his brother Muirchertach Ua Briain shortly after the death of their father in 1086. He lived in exile for several years while his brother...
, King of Munster - Blathmin Ua BriainBlathmin Ua BriainBlathmin Ní Briain, also called Blathmin Ua Briain or Blathmin O'Brien, , was an Irish princess and a Norwegian Queen consort, the first spouse of King Sigurd I of Norway....
, Queen Consort of Norway - Carson Mór Ua Briain, King of Thomond and King of Munster
Earls of Thomond
- Murrough O'Brien, 1st Earl of ThomondMurrough O'Brien, 1st Earl of ThomondMurrough O'Brien, 1st Earl of Thomond was the last King of Thomond.A member of the Irish nobility, he was the son of Turlough O'Brien, King of Thomond and Raghnailt McNamara and also brother of Connor O'Brien, King of Thomond, who was inaugurated King of Thomond in 1528...
- Connor O'Brien, 3rd Earl of ThomondConnor O'Brien, 3rd Earl of ThomondConnor O'Brien, 3rd Earl of Thomond , called Groibleach , grandson of Conor O'Brien ; succeeded to the earldom, 1553; his right to the lordship of Thomond was disputed by his uncle, Donnell; confirmed in his possessions by Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex in 1558, who proclaimed his uncles...
- Donogh O'Brien, 4th Earl of ThomondDonogh O'Brien, 4th Earl of ThomondDonogh O'Brien, 4th Earl of Thomond and Baron of Ibrickan was an Irish nobleman and soldier noted for his loyalty to the English Crown...
- Barnabas O'Brien, 6th Earl of ThomondBarnabas O'Brien, 6th Earl of ThomondBarnabas O'Brien, 6th Earl of Thomond , son of Donogh O'Brien, 4th Earl of Thomond; succeeded his brother, 1639; lord-lieutenant of Clare, 1640–1: his rents seized, 1644; admitted a parliamentary garrison to Bunratty Castle and went to England: joined Charles I; successfully petitioned parliament...
Earls of Inchiquin
- Murrough O'Brien, 1st Earl of InchiquinMurrough O'Brien, 1st Earl of InchiquinMurrough McDermod O'Brien, 1st Earl of Inchiquin and 6th Baron Inchiquin , was known as Murchadh na dTóiteán ....
- William O'Brien, 4th Earl of InchiquinWilliam O'Brien, 4th Earl of InchiquinWilliam McWilliam O'Brien, 4th Earl of Inchiquin, KB, PC was an Irish peer and politician.-Background:O'Brien was the eldest son of William O'Brien, 3rd Earl of Inchiquin and his wife, Mary , sister of the 1st Earl of Jersey, and inherited his father's titles in 1719.-Political career:Inchiquin...
Marquesses of Thomond
- Murrough O'Brien, 1st Marquess of ThomondMurrough O'Brien, 1st Marquess of ThomondMurrough O'Brien, 1st Marquess of Thomond KP, PC , known from 1777 to 1800 as the 5th Earl of Inchiquin, was an Irish peer, soldier and politician.-Life:Murrough O'Brien was born in 1726 to Hon...
- James O'Brien, 3rd Marquess of ThomondJames O'Brien, 3rd Marquess of ThomondAdmiral James McEdward O'Brien, 3rd Marquess of Thomond, GCH , styled Lord James O'Brien from 1809 to 1846, was a British naval officer....
Early Barons Inchiquin
Early Barons Inchiquin
There were six early Barons Inchiquin in Ireland between 1543 and 1654. The title was granted to Murrough O'Brien, the brother of Conor O'Brien, King of Thomond, when he surrendered his Irish royalty to King Henry VIII in 1543...
- Barons Inchiquin
Viscounts Clare
- Daniel O'Brien, 1st Viscount ClareDaniel O'Brien, 1st Viscount ClareDaniel O'Brien, 1st Viscount Clare was the younger son of Connor O'Brien, 3rd Earl of Thomond and Una O'Brien....
- Daniel O'Brien, 3rd Viscount ClareDaniel O'Brien, 3rd Viscount ClareDaniel O'Brien was the 3rd Viscount Clare.O'Brien was the son of Connor O'Brien, 2nd Viscount Clare and Honora O'Brien, daughter of Daniel O'Brien and Ellen FitzGerald....
O'Brien's of Aran
- Mahon mac Turlough Mantach Ó BriainMahon mac Turlough Mantach Ó BriainMahon mac Turlough Mantach Ó Briain, Chief of the Name of the Clan Teige Ó Briain of Aran, died 1565.-Family background:Ó Briain was the senior member of the Mac Taidhg, or Clann Taidhg Ó Briain, of Inishmore in Galway Bay. They were descended from Tadhg Ó Briain, great-grandson of Brian Boru ,...