Sir Daniel O'Brien, 1st Viscount Clare also called Donal ( – 1666) was an Irish politician and soldier. He was born a younger son of
Connor O'Brien, 3rd Earl of Thomond
Connor O'Brien, 3rd Earl of Thomond also spelt Conor and called Groibleach, or the "long-nailed", ( ga, Conchobhar Groibleach Ó Briain; 1535–1581) fought his uncle Donnell over his father's succession during thirty years from 1535 to 1565. ...
. He fought against the insurgents at
Tyrone's Rebellion, but for the insurgents in the
Irish Rebellion of 1641 and the
Irish Confederate Wars. He resisted the
Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. He joined
Charles II of England in exile and was in his eighties made a viscount at the
Restoration.
Birth and origins
Daniel or Donal was born about 1577, the third and youngest son of
Connor O'Brien and his second wife, Una O'Brien. or in 1666 and was succeeded by his eldest surviving son, Connor. His father was the 3rd
Earl of Thomond
Earl of Thomond was an hereditary title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created twice for the O'Brien dynasty which is an ancient Irish sept native to north Munster.
History and background
First creation
Under the Crown of Ireland Act 1542, ...
.
His mother was a daughter of Turlough Mac-i-Brien-Ara. His parents were from different branches of the
O'Briens, an important Gaelic Irish dynasty that descended from
Brian Boru
Brian Boru ( mga, Brian Bóruma mac Cennétig; modern ga, Brian Bóramha; 23 April 1014) was an Irish king who ended the domination of the High Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill and probably ended Viking invasion/domination of Ireland. Br ...
, medieval
high king of Ireland. His father was from the branch of the Earls of Thomond. His mother was from the branch of the O'Briens of Ara in County Tipperary. She was a sister of
Murtogh O'Brien-Arra, Anglican bishop of Killaloe.
Daniel was one of at least seven siblings,
who are listed in his father's article. His eldest brother, Donogh, would become the 4th Earl of Thomond.
Early life
Whereas
Donough
The Irish surname Donough originally appeared in Gaelic as Mac Donough, which means son of Donnchadh or son of Donagh, a personal name composed of the elements donn meaning ‘brown-haired’ or "dark" from Donn a Gaelic God; and chadh, meaning ...
, the eldest brother and
heir apparent
An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...
to the earldom of Thomond, was educated as a Protestant in England, the younger brothers Teige and Daniel were educated as Catholics. The father died in 1581 and was succeeded by Daniel's eldest brother as the 4th Earl of Thomond. His mother died in 1589 at
Clare Castle
Clare Castle is a high-mounted ruinous medieval castle in the parish and former manor of Clare in Suffolk, England, anciently the ''caput'' of a feudal barony. It was built shortly after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 by Richard F ...
.
Nine Years' War
In 1598 during
Tyrone's Rebellion, also known as the Nine years' War in Ireland, the insurgents led by
Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone
Hugh O'Neill ( Irish: ''Aodh Mór Ó Néill''; literally ''Hugh The Great O'Neill''; – 20 July 1616), was an Irish Gaelic lord, Earl of Tyrone (known as the Great Earl) and was later created ''The Ó Néill Mór'', Chief of the Name. O'Nei ...
and his ally
Hugh Roe O'Donnell
Hugh Roe O'Donnell ( Irish: ''Aodh Ruadh Ó Domhnaill''), also known as Red Hugh O'Donnell (30 October 1572 – 10 September 1602), was a sixteenth-century leader of the Gaelic nobility of Ireland. He became Chief of the Name of Clan O'Donne ...
marched south to relieve the
siege of Kinsale
The siege of Kinsale, or Battle of Kinsale ( ga, Léigear/Cath Chionn tSáile), was the ultimate battle in England's conquest of Gaelic Ireland, commencing in October 1601, near the end of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, and at the climax of t ...
. O'Donnell invaded Clare, ravaging the country and capturing most of the castles. O'Brien had been left by his brother
Donough O'Brien, 4th Earl of Thomond, absent in England, to defend his lands. In February 1599 O'Brien was attacked in his castle of
Ibrickane, wounded, and taken prisoner by O'Donnell.
Marriage and children
In 1600 O'Brien married Catherine FitzGerald, widow of
Maurice Roche, 6th Viscount Fermoy Maurice may refer to:
People
*Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr
*Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor
* Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and L ...
, and the third daughter of
Gerald FitzGerald, 14th Earl of Desmond
Gerald FitzGerald, 14th Earl of Desmond ( – 1583), also counted as 15th or 16th, owned large part of the Irish province of Munster. In 1565 he fought the private Battle of Affane against his neighbours, the Butlers. After this, he was for so ...
, the rebel earl, and his second wife, Eleanor Butler.
Daniel and Catherine had four sons:
# Donogh (died 1638), married
Elizabeth Dowdall
Elizabeth Dowdall ( Southwell); – after 1642) was a member of the Irish gentry, famed for having defended Kilfinny Castle, County Limerick, against the insurgents during the Irish Rebellion of 1641.
Birth and background
Elizabeth was born ...
but died predeceasing his father.
#
Connor (1605–1670), succeeded as 2nd Viscount Clare
#Morrough, died childless
# Teige
—and seven daughters of which nothing seems to be known.
Knight and Parliaments
On 1 July 1604 in
Leixlip
Leixlip ( or ; , IPA: lʲeːmʲənˠˈwɾˠad̪ˠaːnʲ is a town in north-east County Kildare, Ireland. Its location on the confluence of the River Liffey and the Rye Water has marked it as a frontier town historically: on the border betwee ...
, County Kildare, O'Brien was
knight
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
ed and became Sir Daniel O'Brien. He was elected as one of the two "
knights of the shire
Knight of the shire ( la, milites comitatus) was the formal title for a member of parliament (MP) representing a county constituency in the British House of Commons, from its origins in the medieval Parliament of England until the Redistribution ...
", as county MPs were then called, for
Clare County
Clare County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 30,856. The county seat is Harrison.
History
The county was created by the Michigan Legislature from part of Michilimackinac County in 1840, ...
in the
Irish House of Commons
The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, but on a highly restrictive fran ...
1613 to 1614. At the election of the speaker O'Brien supported the Catholic candidate
John Everard.
In the
Irish Parliament of 1634–1635 he replaced his nephew
Barnabas O'Brien, the future 6th Earl of Thomond, who had absented himself to England.
Irish Rebellion and Confederate Wars
O'Brien was a member of the Supreme Council of the
Catholic Confederates. In 1649 he fought the Cromwellians in Clare. He surrendered Clare Castle on 5 November and
Carrigaholt
Carrigaholt () is a small fishing village in County Clare, Ireland, a castle and a Catholic parish by the same name. The area was officially classified as part of the West Clare Gaeltacht; an Irish-speaking community; until 1956.
Location
Carri ...
Castle on 9 November.
On June 1652, at
Ross Castle
Ross Castle ( ga, Caisleán an Rois) is a 15th-century tower house and keep on the edge of Lough Leane, in Killarney National Park, County Kerry, Ireland. It is the ancestral home of the Chiefs of the Clan O'Donoghue, later associated wit ...
near Killarney, O'Brien together with
Lord Muskerry surrendered to
Ludlow
Ludlow () is a market town in Shropshire, England. The town is significant in the history of the Welsh Marches and in relation to Wales. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road which bypasses the town. The ...
. O'Brien served as a hostage to guarantee Muskerry's compliance with the terms.
Restoration, Viscount Clare, and death
At the
Restoration O'Brien returned to Ireeland. On 11 July 1662
Charles II created him Baron
Moyarta
Moyarta ( ga, Maigh Fhearta) is a civil parish in County Clare, Ireland.
It lies on the Loop Head peninsula between the Atlantic Ocean and the Shannon Estuary. The parish contains the villages of Carrigaholt and Doonaha.
Location
The parish o ...
and
Viscount Clare
Viscount Clare was a title in the Peerage of Ireland, created twice.
First creation
The titles of Viscount Clare and Baron Moyarta were conferred on Daniel O'Brien, a younger son of Connor O'Brien, 3rd Earl of Thomond, on 11 July 1662. These tit ...
. The honour was intended for his grandson
Daniel, into who's hands the estate was directly conveyed. Lord Clare, as he now was, attended the
House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...
during the Irish Parliament 1661–1666. He died in 1663 or in 1666 and was succeeded by his eldest surviving son, Connor.
Notes and references
Notes
Citations
Sources
*
* – (for Thomond)
*
* – N to R (for Ormond)
* – S to T (for Thomond)
* – Canonteign to Cutts (for Clare)
*
*
* – 1625 to 1655
* – (for timeline)
*
* – 1534–1691
*
* – Earls (under Inchiquin)
*
*
* – Irish stem
*
*
*
*
* – 1641 to 1643
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clare, O'Brien, Daniel, 1st Viscount
1577 births
1663 deaths
16th-century Irish people
17th-century Irish people
Irish MPs 1613–1615
Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Clare constituencies
Daniel
Peers of Ireland created by Charles II
Politicians from County Clare
Viscounts in the Peerage of Ireland
Younger sons of earls