Sir Michael O'Loghlen, 1st Baronet (6 October 1789 – 28 September 1842) was an Irish judge and politician. He was born at Port Ruan,

Ennis Ennis ( , meaning 'island' or 'river meadow') is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in Cou ...

County Clare County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...

, the third son of Colman O'Loghlen and his second wife, Susannah Finucane, daughter of Dr. Michael Finucane. The O'Loghlens were descended from the princes of Corcomroe, in

the Burren The Burren ( ; ) is a karst/glaciokarst landscape centred in County Clare, on the west coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland.

. He was educated in

Trinity College Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Unive ...

and was called to the

Irish Bar The Bar of Ireland () is the professional association of barristers for Ireland, with over 2,000 members. It is based in the Law Library, with premises in Dublin and Cork. It is governed by the General Council of the Bar of Ireland, commonly c ...

in 1811. Through sheer hard work, he gained a reputation as an outstanding pleader. In 1817 he married Bidelia Kelly l, daughter of Daniel Kelly from

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

. They had four sons, Colman, Hugh,

Bryan Bryan may refer to: Places in the United States * Bryan, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Bryan, Kentucky, an unincorporated community * Bryan, Ohio, a city * Bryan, Texas, a city * Bryan, Wyoming, a ghost town * Bryan County, Georgia * ...

and Michael and four daughters, Maria, Susan, Bidelia and Lucy. In 1815 Sir Michael was junior counsel to

Daniel O’Connell Daniel(I) O’Connell (; 6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847), hailed in his time as The Liberator, was the acknowledged political leader of Ireland's Roman Catholic majority in the first half of the 19th century. His mobilisation of Catholic Irelan ...

, whose friendship was of great assistance to him. In 1834 he became

Solicitor-General for Ireland The Solicitor-General for Ireland was the holder of an Kingdom of Ireland, Irish and then (from the Act of Union 1800) United Kingdom government office. The holder was a deputy to the Attorney-General for Ireland, and advised the Crown on Irish ...

and was elected MP for

Dungarvan Dungarvan () is a coastal town and harbour in County Waterford, on the south-east coast of Ireland. Prior to the merger of Waterford County Council with Waterford City Council in 2014, Dungarvan was the county town and administrative centre of ...

from 1835 to 1837. He brought in the O'Loghlen Act for the Suppression of Drunkenness, which cleared the way for Father Mathew's temperance movement. In 1835 became

Attorney-General for Ireland The Attorney-General for Ireland was an Kingdom of Ireland, Irish and then, from 1801 under the Acts of Union 1800, United Kingdom government office-holder. He was senior in rank to the Solicitor-General for Ireland: both advised the Crown on ...

and was elevated to the Irish Bench as Baron of the Court of Exchequer in 1836, the first

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

to occupy a seat on the bench since 1688. He relinquished this office the following year on being appointed

Master of the Rolls in Ireland The Master of the Rolls in Ireland was a senior judicial office in the Irish Chancery under English and British rule, and was equivalent to the Master of the Rolls in the English Chancery. Originally called the Keeper of the Rolls, he was respon ...

. In July 1838 he was created a Baronet, of Drumcanora in Ennis. O'Loghlen died in London. He is buried in the family vault at the old graveyard in Ruan. His mausoleum is an impressive Egyptian Revival tomb. A statue of Sir Michael O’Loghlen can be seen at the

Ennis Courthouse Ennis Courthouse () is a judicial facility in Gort Road, Ennis, County Clare, Ireland. History The courthouse, which was designed by John Keane and Henry Whitestone in the neoclassical style and built in ashlar stone, was completed in 1852. T ...

. He was succeeded as baronet by his eldest son Colman, and on Colman's death by his younger son Bryan,

Premier of Victoria The premier of Victoria is the head of government of the state of Victoria in Australia. The premier leads the Cabinet of Victoria and selects its ministers. The premier is appointed by the governor of Victoria, must be a member of the Vic ...

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* * * 1789 births 1842 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Waterford constituencies (1801–1922) Politicians from County Clare UK MPs 1835–1837 Irish barristers Solicitors-general for Ireland Attorneys-general for Ireland Members of the Privy Council of Ireland Masters of the Rolls in Ireland Serjeants-at-law (Ireland) 19th-century Irish lawyers Lawyers from County Clare People from Ennis {{Ireland-UK-MP-stub