O'Brien of Munster
From the tenth century, when the sept rose to the High Kingship of Ireland in
the person of Brian Boru, down to the present day, the O'Briens have always been
prominent in the history of the country. Before Brian Boru's time, the
Dalcassian clan, known as the Ui Toirdealbhaigh, to which they belonged, was not
of outstanding importance in Thomond: the greatness of Brian gave them
pre-eminence there and in due course the sept, which took the surname O'Brien
from him, divided into several branches and possessed a great part of Munster,
of which they were frequently kings. The O'Briens of Ara (north Tipperary), a
territory they acquired from the O'Donegans about the year 1300 had as chief Mac
Ui Bhriain Ara; those of Co. Limerick gave their name to the barony of
Pubbelebrien; another branch was located around Aherlow by the Galtees; and
another south of the Comeragh Mountains on the rich lands near Dungarvan. In all
those areas, and especially in Co. Clare they are numerous to-day: the name, in
fact, is so common that it comes sixth in the statistical list relating to Irish
surnames, with an estimated population of more than thirty thousand persons. In
this connexion it may be observed, that though fifty years ago one third of the
people of the name was registered as plain Brien, nowadays it is rarely to be
found without the prefix O. The outstanding figure is, of course, Brian Boru
(941 - 1014), whose remarkable career as High King of Ireland ended with his
death on the field of the battle of Clontarf when the Norsemen were finally
subdued. Brian, in fact used no surname; it was, however, in regular use forty
years after his death. According to Eleanor Hull's History of Ireland the first
O'Brien to adopt the surname was Donagh Cairbre (1194-1242), son of Donal, who
submitted to Henry II., From 1055 to 1616. The last year recorded by the Four
Masters, O'Briens figure in the annals of every generation, over 300 individuals
of the name finding a place in that great work. In this respect they are
outnumbered only by the O'Connors, and O'Neills and the O'Donnells. In the
"Annals of Innisfallen", which deal principally with the southern half of
Ireland, the O'Briens appear more often than any other sept, though in this the
MacCarthys run them close. Murrough O'Brien (d. 1551) was the first Earl of
Thomond; Murrough of the Burnings (d. 1674) was sixth Baron Inchiquin. Coming to
modern times, the difficulty is to select a few names from the many O'Briens who
have been prominent in the political and cultural history of the country. The
descendants of Brian Boru, in the main line, have been peers of the realm under
three titles, Earls and Marquises of Thomond, Barons and Earls of Inchiquin and
Viscounts Clare. The two former have more often than not been on the side of
England, notably Murrough O'Brien, first Earl of Thomond (d. 1551), who was one
of the great Gaelic chiefs to acknowledge Henry VIII, and the other notorious
Murrough O'Brien, sixth Baron Inchiquin (1614-1674) whose exploits during the
war of 1641-1650 earned him the sobriquet "Murrough of the Burnings". The
Viscounts Clare, on the other hand, present a different picture; the first of
these, Daniel O'Brien (1577-1663), was a member of the Supreme Council of the
Catholic Confederates; it was the third Viscount, also Daniel O'Brien (d.1690),
who raised the famous Irish Brigade regiment known as Clare's Dragoons, which
was later commanded in many famous battles on the continent by the fifth
Viscount, Charles O'Brien, whose distinguished military career ended when he was
killed at the battle of Ramillies in 1706, while his son, Charles O'Brien, sixth
Viscount (1699-1771), upheld the family tradition at Dettingen and Fontenoy, and
became a Marshal of France. Younger branches of these noble families produced
William Smith O'Brien (1803-1864), who broke away from the "landlord" tradition
of his relatives and became one of the best known of the Young Irelanders. His
daughter, Charlotte Grace O'Brien (1845-1909), was a philanthropist, author and
zealous Gaelic Leaguer, and his brother, Edward O'Brien (1808-1840), devoted his
short life to similar causes. Other O'Briens whose names are honoured for their
part in the struggle for the restoration of Irish independence are Most Rev.
Terence Albert O'Brien (1600-1651). Dominican Bishop of Emly, who was hanged by
Ireton after the Siege of Limerick; James Xavier O'Brien(1828-1905), the Fenian,
and William O'Brien (1852-1928), who devised the "Plan of Campaign" and founded
the United Irish League. Another William O'Brien (b. 1881), nationalist, labour
leader and friend of James Connolly, was active in Irish affairs. Add to all
these Fitzjames O'Brien (1828-1862), the Irish author who was killed fighting in
the American Civil War; Jermiah O'Brien (1740-1818), with his brothers John and
William, heros of naval exploits against the British in the American War of
Independence; Most Rev. John O'Brien (d.1767) and Rev. Paul O'Brien (1763-1820)
two noted Gaelic scholars; and there are still many names which may justly be
considered worthy of a place in this brief account of a great and famous Irish
sept.
(source:
http://www.goireland.com/genealogy/)
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