Donough Edward Foster O'Brien, 16th Baron Inchiquin (5 January 1897 – 19 October 1968) was an Irish peer and 29th direct descendant of

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 ...

Early life

Inchiquin was the first of five children born to

Lucius O'Brien, 15th Baron Inchiquin Lucius William O'Brien, 15th Baron Inchiquin (21 June 1864 – 9 December 1929) was the England-born holder of a hereditary peerage in the Peerage of Ireland, as well as Chief of the Name of O'Brien and Prince of Thomond in the Gaelic Irish no ...

and Ethel Jane O'Brien ' Foster, daughter of Johnston Jonas Foster JP of

Cliffe Hill Cliffe Hill is a hill to the east of the town of Lewes in East Sussex, England. It is impressive on its western edge, where it looms over Lewes. Its summit is covered in a golf course. It is the second lowest Marilyn in England. Also to be fou ...

, Lightcliffe. Inchiquin was educated at Magdalen College School,

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

and the Royal Military College.

Military career

Inchiquin was commissioned from the Royal Military College into the Rifle Brigade in 1916, he continued to serve in the brigade within the 3rd Battalion throughout the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Inchiquin was Aid-de-Camp to the

Viceroy of India The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 19 ...

and his future father-in-law,

Frederic Thesiger, 1st Viscount Chelmsford Frederic John Napier Thesiger, 1st Viscount Chelmsford, (12 August 1868 – 1 April 1933) was a British statesman. He served as Governor of Queensland from 1905 to 1909, Governor of New South Wales from 1909 to 1913, and Viceroy of India from 1 ...

, between 1919 and 1920. Inchiquin left regular service in 1921. He was awarded the

Order of the Crown (Romania) The Order of the Crown of Romania is a chivalric order set up on 14 March 1881 by King Carol I of Romania to commemorate the establishment of the Kingdom of Romania. It was awarded as a state order until the end of the Romanian monarchy in 1947. ...

. Inchiquin returned to service in 1939 with the territorial regiment, the

London Rifle Brigade The London Rifle Brigade was a volunteer regiment of the British Army. History The regiment was first raised in the City of London on 14 December 1859 as 1st London (City of London Volunteer Rifle Brigade) Rifle Volunteer Corps, a rifle volun ...

. He continued to serve in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

until 1942, when he finally retired with the rank of captain. According to Desmond Oulton (owner of Clontarf Castle), his father John George Oulton had suggested to

Éamon de Valera Éamon de Valera (, ; first registered as George de Valero; changed some time before 1901 to Edward de Valera; 14 October 1882 – 29 August 1975) was a prominent Irish statesman and political leader. He served several terms as head of govern ...

towards the end of the

Irish Free State The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independence between ...

, that Ireland should have its own king again, as it was in the times of Gaelic Ireland. He suggested to him, a member of the O'Brien Clan, descended in the paternal line from

, a previous High King of Ireland: the most senior representative at the time was Donough O'Brien, 16th Baron Inchiquin. Oulton said that Donough's nephew Conor O'Brien, 18th Baron Inchiquin, confirmed that De Valera did offer Donough O'Brien the title of Prince-President of the Irish Republic, but this was turned down and so a

President of Ireland The president of Ireland ( ga, Uachtarán na hÉireann) is the head of state of Ireland and the supreme commander of the Irish Defence Forces. The president holds office for seven years, and can be elected for a maximum of two terms.Constitu ...

was instituted instead.

Family

Inchiquin was the older brother of

Phaedrig O'Brien, 17th Baron Inchiquin Phaedrig Lucius Ambrose O'Brien, 17th Baron Inchiquin (4 April 1900 – 20 May 1982) was the holder of a hereditary peerage in the Peerage of Ireland, as well as Chief of the Name of O'Brien and Prince of Thomond in the Gaelic Irish nobility. He ...

and the uncle of the current incumbent of the Baron Inchiquin title, Conor O'Brien, 18th Baron Inchiquin. He married, on 13 December 1921 Anne Molyneux Thesiger (1898-1973), daughter of Frederic Thesiger, 1st Viscount Chelmsford, the Viceroy of India whom Inchiquin served under as his Aid-de-Camp. Together they had two daughters: Hon-Deirdre-Jane-Frances-Chapin-ne-OBrien

Hon-Deirdre-Jane-Frances-Chapin-ne-OBrien

* Deirdre O'Brien born 1924, who served in the

Women's Royal Naval Service The Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS; popularly and officially known as the Wrens) was the women's branch of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. First formed in 1917 for the First World War, it was disbanded in 1919, then revived in 1939 at the ...

during the Second World War. She married the

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

Dr Horace Beecher Chapin (''died.'' 19 Feb 1992), son of Horace H. Chapin of New York on 23 April 1954. Her last reported residence was

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = "Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , es ...

. * Grania O'Brien born 1928 who was

Private Secretary A private secretary (PS) is a civil servant in a governmental department or ministry, responsible to a secretary of state or minister; or a public servant in a royal household, responsible to a member of the royal family. The role exists in ...

to Sir Arthur Salter PC MP between 1947 and 1952. O'Brien was then social secretary to Sir John Balfour,

KCMG KCMG may refer to * KC Motorgroup, based in Hong Kong, China * Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, British honour * KCMG-LP, radio station in New Mexico, USA * KCMG, callsign 1997-2001 of Los Angeles radio station KKLQ (FM) ...

in 1952 and then to Sir Esler Denning,

GCMG The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour ...

between 1954 and 1957. O'Brien then went on to be social secretary to

John Hay Whitney John Hay Whitney (August 17, 1904 – February 8, 1982) was U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, publisher of the '' New York Herald Tribune'', and president of the Museum of Modern Art. He was a member of the Whitney family. Early life Whi ...

United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom The United States ambassador to the United Kingdom (known formally as the ambassador of the United States to the Court of St James's) is the official representative of the president of the United States and the American government to the monarc ...

in 1958 and then finally to Sir Berkeley Gage, Ambassador to Peru between 1958 and 1960 On the 17th July 1973 O'Brien wed Hugh William Lindsay Weir, son of Major Terence Weir MC. Her last reported residence was Ballinakella Lodge,

County Clare County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,81 ...

. Inchiquin inherited the family

Dromoland Castle Dromoland Castle ( ga, Drom Ólainn) is a castle, located near Newmarket-on-Fergus in County Clare, Ireland. It is operated as a five-star luxury hotel with a golf course, with its restaurant, the "Earl of Thomond", being awarded a Michel ...

estate in Ireland and Moor Park near

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 ...

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...

. He moved home permanently to Ireland in 1939. Inchiquin had managed to keep hold of the estate for 20 years, by turning the estate into a dairy farm however by 1948 the financial state of the estate was so dire Inchiquin had to allow tourists to stay as paying guests. In 1962 Inchiquin finally gave in to the financial strain and sold the Dromoland Castle and of its estate to billionaire industrialist Bernard McDonough and built himself nearby Thomond House, which he moved into in 1965 and a house that the current Baron Inchiquin resides in. The ancestral seat today serves as a luxury hotel and continues to be owned by a series of Irish American businessmen. Dromoland Castle

As the holder of the

hereditary peerage The hereditary peers form part of the peerage in the United Kingdom. As of September 2022, there are 807 hereditary peers: 29 dukes (including five royal dukes), 34 marquesses, 190 earls, 111 viscounts, and 443 barons (disregarding subsidi ...

in the

Peerage of Ireland The Peerage of Ireland consists of those titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It is one of the five divisi ...

, Baron Inchiquin was the Chief of the Dál gCais tribe, Chief of the Name of O'Brien and Prince of Thomond in the Gaelic

Irish nobility The Irish nobility could be described as including persons who do, or historically did, fall into one or more of the following categories of nobility: * Gaelic nobility of Ireland descendants in the male line of at least one historical grade o ...

. Inchiquin died in 1968 aged 71 and was succeeded in the peerage by his younger brother, Phaedrig.

References

Footnotes

Bibliography

* . {{DEFAULTSORT:Inchiquin, Donough Edward Foster O'Brien, 16th Baron 1897 births 1968 deaths Place of death missing Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford Barons Inchiquin British Army personnel of World War I British Army personnel of World War II Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst

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 ...

People educated at Eton College People from County Clare Rifle Brigade officers Military personnel from London London Rifle Brigade officers Irish chiefs of the name