Cornelius O'Brien (1782–1857) was an Irish politician, Member of Parliament and landowner in County Clare. He was the son of Henry O'Brien from Ennis and his wife Helen (née O'Callaghan). Born at the O'Brien residence at Birchfield House in Beaghy townland of

Kilmacrehy Kilmacrehy, sometimes also Kilmacreehy, () is a civil parish in County Clare, Ireland. The ruins of the old parish church lie near the coastal village of Liscannor, which is also a part of the parish. Geography Kilmacrehy is part of the hist ...

parish, now demolished and replaced by a farm house. It was a house designed in the exotic "Moorish" or "Foreign Legion" style. Cornelius O'Brien was married firstly in 1816 to Margaret, the daughter of Peter Long of Waterford. She was the widow of James O'Brien of Limerick. His second wife was Ellen McLaughlin daughter of Hugh McLaughlin, merchant of Ennis. They married in July 1836 in Limerick. Cornelius was a solicitor (from 1811) and later also magistrate for Clare. Cornelius (or Corney) became MP for

Clare Clare may refer to: Places Antarctica * Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land Australia * Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley * Clare Valley, South Australia Canada * Clare (electoral district), an electoral district * Cl ...

in 1832. He was a Liberal in favour of

Repeal of the Union A repeal (O.F. ''rapel'', modern ''rappel'', from ''rapeler'', ''rappeler'', revoke, ''re'' and ''appeler'', appeal) is the removal or reversal of a law. There are two basic types of repeal; a repeal with a re-enactment is used to replace the law ...

and was reelected (with a break from 1847 to 1852) until his death in 1857. His other residences besides Birchfield were at 4 North Street, Westminster, London and 20 Summerhill, Dublin. He built a tower, now referred to as

O'Brien's Tower O'Brien's Tower marks the highest point of the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare, Ireland. It is located a short distance from the villages Doolin and Liscannor. History The tower was built on the cliffs in 1835 by local landlord and MP Corn ...

on the

Cliffs of Moher The Cliffs of Moher (; ) are sea cliffs located at the southwestern edge of the Burren region in County Clare, Ireland. They run for about . At their southern end, they rise above the Atlantic Ocean at Hag's Head, and, to the north, the ...

in 1835 as an observation tower for the hundreds of tourists that frequented the cliffs during the time. Folklore holds that Cornelius O'Brien was a man ahead of his time, believing that the development of tourism would benefit the local economy and bring people out of poverty. O'Brien also built St. Brigid's National School (1846) and a wall of Moher flagstones along the Cliffs. It is said in the locality that he "built everything around here except the Cliffs". He died in 1857 and his remains lie in the O'Brien vault in the graveyard adjoining Liscannor's St Brigid's Well. The O'Brien Monument, a Doric column topped by an urn, was built during his lifetime, paid for by compulsory subscriptions of his tenants.

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Cornelius O'Brien of Birchfield (1782-1857)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, Cornelius 1782 births 1857 deaths Politicians from County Clare Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Clare constituencies (1801–1922) UK MPs 1832–1835 UK MPs 1835–1837 UK MPs 1837–1841 UK MPs 1841–1847 UK MPs 1852–1857 Cornelius People from Ennis 19th-century Irish landowners Irish landlords People from Liscannor