Hon. James O'Brien (died 18 December 1771) was an

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nobleman and politician.

Life

James O'Brien was the son of

William O'Brien, 3rd Earl of Inchiquin William MacWilliam O'Brien, 8th Baron of Inchiquin, 3rd Baron O'Brien of Burren, 3rd Earl of Inchiquin PC (1662 – 24 December 1719) was an Irish nobleman. Life William O'Brien was the son of William O'Brien, 2nd Earl of Inchiquin and Lady Ma ...

, and his wife, Mary Villiers, daughter of Sir Edward Villiers. He married Mary Jephson, the daughter of the

Very Reverend The Very Reverend is a Style (manner of address), style given to members of the clergy. The definite article "The" should always precede "Reverend" as "Reverend" is a style or fashion and not a title. Catholic In the Catholic Church, the style i ...

William Jephson, Dean of Kilmore, and Anne Barry. From 1725 to 1727, O'Brien sat as a Member of 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 fra ...

for

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. In 1727, he was elected to the Irish House of Commons for

Youghal Youghal ( ; ) is a seaside resort town in County Cork, Ireland. Located on the estuary of the River Blackwater, the town is a former military and economic centre. Located on the edge of a steep riverbank, the town has a long and narrow layout. ...

. He held this seat until his retirement in 1760. While serving in Parliament, O'Brien and his family lived in

Drogheda Drogheda ( , ; , meaning "bridge at the ford") is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, north of Dublin. It is located on the Dublin–Belfast corridor on the east coast of Ireland, mostly in County Louth ...

, where he held the position of Collector of Customs for the Port of Drogheda. He retired to his brother's estate at

Rostellan Rostellan () is a civil parish, townland and village in the historical Barony of Imokilly, County Cork, Ireland. An electoral division of the same name forms part of the Cork East Dáil constituency. For census purposes, the village of Rostell ...

, County Cork. During his residency there, O'Brien served as Collector of Customs for the Port of Cork until 1767. He died at Rostellan Estate in 1771. O'Brien also served time as Grand Master of the

Freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...

. He was unanimously elected in 1727. In the army, he held the rank of Captain of Foot.

Family

Children of James O'Brien and Mary Jephson: *Anne O'Brien (1724 – 19 January 1745) married the Most Reverend Michael Cox,

Archbishop of Cashel The Archbishop of Cashel ( ga, Ard-Easpag Chaiseal Mumhan) was an archiepiscopal title which took its name after the town of Cashel, County Tipperary in Ireland. Following the Reformation, there had been parallel apostolic successions to the title ...

and died in childbirth with her only son nine months after the wedding. *

Murrough O'Brien, 1st Marquess of Thomond Sir Murrough O'Brien, 10th Baron of Inchiquin, 5th Baron O'Brien of Burren, 1st Baron Thomond of Taplow, 5th Earl of Inchiquin, 1st Marquess of Thomond KP, PC (Ire) (1726 – 10 February 1808), known from 1777 to 1800 as the 5th Earl of Inchiqui ...

(1726 – 10 February 1808) *Lieut Hon. John O'Brien RN (1728–1788) * Capt. Edward Dominic O'Brien (1735 – 1 March 1801) Married Mary Carrick, and had five sons and two daughters. *Henrietta O'Brien (1737 – 17 November 1797) Married first to Terence O'Loughlin. Married second to Sir William Vigors Burdett, 2nd Baronet Burdett of Dunmore, son of Sir Thomas Burdett, 1st Baronet and Martha Vigors. They had one son.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:OBrien, James 1701 births 1771 deaths Politicians from County Clare People educated at Kilkenny College Politicians from County Cork 18th-century Irish people Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Cork constituencies Younger sons of earls