Earl of Thomond was an

hereditary title Hereditary titles, in a general sense, are nobility titles, positions or styles that are hereditary and thus tend or are bound to remain in particular families. Though both monarchs and nobles usually inherit their titles, the mechanisms often d ...

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 ...

. It was created twice for the

O'Brien dynasty The O'Brien dynasty ( ga, label=Classical Irish, Ua Briain; ga, label=Modern Irish, Ó Briain ; genitive ''Uí Bhriain'' ) is a nobility, noble house of Munster, founded in the 10th century by Brian Boru of the Dál gCais (Dalcassians). After ...

which is an ancient Irish

sept A sept is a division of a family, especially of a Scottish or Irish family. The term is used in both Scotland and Ireland, where it may be translated as ''sliocht'', meaning "progeny" or "seed", which may indicate the descendants of a person ( ...

native to north

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 ...

History and background

First creation

Under the

Crown of Ireland Act 1542 The Crown of Ireland Act 1542 is an Act passed by the Parliament of Ireland (33 Hen. 8 c. 1) on 18 June 1542, which created the title of King of Ireland for King Henry VIII of England and his successors, who previously ruled the island as L ...

, King

Henry VIII of England Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

was created King of Ireland by the

Parliament of Ireland The Parliament of Ireland ( ga, Parlaimint na hÉireann) was the legislature of the Lordship of Ireland, and later the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1297 until 1800. It was modelled on the Parliament of England and from 1537 comprised two chamb ...

. In consequence, all reigning monarchs and clan chiefs in Ireland were ordered to surrender their native titles in return for peerages. This

surrender and regrant During the Tudor conquest of Ireland (c.1540–1603), "surrender and regrant" was the legal mechanism by which Irish clans were to be converted from a power structure rooted in clan and kin loyalties, to a late-feudal system under the English l ...

offer was conditional upon the adoption of Tudor customs and laws, including pledging allegiance to the Irish Crown and apostatising from the

Catholic faith The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

by accepting the articles of the state established

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second ...

. Through surrender and regrant, the earldom of Thomond was created in 1543 for Murrough O'Brien. He had previously been styled

King of Thomond The kings of Thomond ( ga, Rí Tuamhain) ruled from the establishment of Thomond during the High Middle Ages, until the Early modern period. Thomond represented the legacy of Brian Bóruma and the High Kings of Ireland of his line who could n ...

and was descended from the ' or

High King of Ireland High King of Ireland ( ga, Ardrí na hÉireann ) was a royal title in Gaelic Ireland held by those who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over all of Ireland. The title was held by historical kings and later sometimes assigned ana ...

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 King of Ireland, High Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill and probably ended Viking invasion/domi ...

. O'Brien was also created Baron Inchiquin, on 1 July 1543. On the same day his nephew and heir, Donough O'Brien, was created Baron Ibrickane. The titles of Ibrickane and Thomond merged on the first Earl's death in 1551, and the barony of Inchiquin went to his eldest son.

Forfeit of title

The 8th Earl was created Viscount Tadcaster, in the

Peerage of Great Britain The Peerage of Great Britain comprises all extant peerages created in the Kingdom of Great Britain between the Acts of Union 1707 and the Acts of Union 1800. It replaced the Peerage of England and the Peerage of Scotland, but was itself r ...

, on 19 October 1714. However, when he died in 1741, the next heir would have been a descendant of

Daniel O'Brien, 3rd Viscount Clare Daniel O'Brien, 3rd Viscount Clare (died 1691), was with King Charles II in exile during the interregnum. At the Restoration, he obtained the title of Viscount Clare for his grandfather and full restoration of the family's lands. At the ...

who was

attainded In English criminal law, attainder or attinctura was the metaphorical "stain" or "corruption of blood" which arose from being condemned for a serious capital crime (felony or treason). It entailed losing not only one's life, property and hereditary ...

in 1691, so the three titles became

forfeit Forfeit or forfeiture may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Forfeit'', a 2007 thriller film starring Billy Burke * "Forfeit", a song by Chevelle from ''Wonder What's Next'' * ''Forfeit/Fortune'', a 2008 album by Crooked Fingers L ...

. However,

Charles O'Brien, 6th Viscount Clare Charles O'Brien, (17 March 16999 September 1761), 6th Viscount Clare (titular 9th Earl of Thomond) was an Irish military officer in French service, known to posterity as the Marshal of France, Maréchal de Thomond. Charles O'Brien was the son o ...

, a Jacobite exile used the title Earl of Thomond, as did his son, who died childless in 1774.

Second creation

The second creation was on 11 December 1756 when Percy Wyndham-O'Brien was created Earl of Thomond and Baron Ibracken. On his death in 1774, both titles became extinct. Henrietta Street - Dublin 2800071378

Earls of Thomond (1543)

Murrough O'Brien, 1st Earl of Thomond Murrough O'Brien, 1st Earl of Thomond ( ga, Murchadh Carrach Ó Briain) (died 7 November 1551) was the last King of Thomond, and a descendant of the High King of Ireland, Brian Boru. Biography Murrough was a lineal descendant of Brian Boru, H ...

(died 1551) *

Donough O'Brien, 2nd Earl of Thomond Donough O'Brien, 2nd Earl of Thomond ( ga, Donnchadh Ó Briain; died 1 April 1553), also known as "the fat", was the son of Connor O'Brien, King of Thomond and Annabell Burke. He inherited the earldom from his uncle, Murrough O'Brien, by speci ...

(died 1553) – created Baron Ibrickane in 1543. *

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. ...

(–1581) *

Donogh O'Brien, 4th Earl of Thomond Donogh O'Brien, 4th Earl of Thomond and Baron Ibrickan, PC (Ire) (died 1624), was a Protestant Irish nobleman and soldier. He fought for Queen Elizabeth during Tyrone's Rebellion and participated in the Siege of Kinsale. He obtained the tran ...

(died 1624) *

Henry O'Brien, 5th Earl of Thomond Henry O'Brien, 5th Earl of Thomond PC (Ire) (1588–1639), styled Lord Ibrickane until 1624, was summoned to the House of Lords of the Irish Parliament of 1613–1615. Birth and origins Henry was born the eldest son of Donogh O'Brien and ...

(–1639) *

Barnabas O'Brien, 6th Earl of Thomond Barnabas O'Brien, 6th Earl of Thomond (1590-November 1657), son of Donogh O'Brien, 4th Earl of Thomond; succeeded his brother as earl, 1639; was lord-lieutenant of Clare, 1640–41: had his rents seized, 1644; admitted a parliamentary garrison to ...

(–1657) *

Henry O'Brien, 7th Earl of Thomond Henry O'Brien, 7th Earl of Thomond Privy Council of Ireland, PC (Ire) (c. 16202 May 1691) was an Irish peer, styled Lord Ibrackan from 1639 to 1657. O'Brien was the son of Barnabas O'Brien, 6th Earl of Thomond and Anne Fermor. In 1641, he marri ...

(–1691) **

Henry O'Brien, Lord Ibrackan Henry O'Brien, Lord Ibrackan, or Lord O'Brien (c. 1642 – 1 September 1678), styled Hon. Henry O'Brien until 1657, was an Irish nobleman and politician. He was the son of Henry O'Brien, 7th Earl of Thomond, and his first wife, and cousin, Anne ...

(–1678) ** Henry Horatio O'Brien, Lord Ibrackan (died 1690) * Henry O'Brien, 8th Earl of Thomond (1688–1741), grandson of the 7th Earl. All titles forfeit on his death. *''

, titular 9th Earl of Thomond (1699–1761)'' *''

Charles O'Brien, 7th Viscount Clare Charles O'Brien, titular 7th Viscount Clare and 9th Earl of Thomond (1757-1774) was a Franco-Irish nobleman. He was born on 18 October 1757 in Paris, France, the son of Charles O'Brien, 6th Viscount Clare Charles O'Brien, (17 March 16999 ...

, titular 10th Earl of Thomond (died 1774)''

Earls of Thomond (1756)

Percy Wyndham-O'Brien, 1st Earl of Thomond Percy Wyndham-O'Brien, 1st Earl of Thomond (c. 1713–1774) was a British Member of Parliament and an Irish peer. Origins He was the younger of the two sons of Tory statesman Sir William Wyndham, 3rd Baronet (c.1688–1740) of Orchard Wyndham ...

(c. 1723–1774)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomond Extinct earldoms in the Peerage of Ireland O'Brien dynasty

Earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...

Forfeited earldoms in the Peerage of Ireland Noble titles created in 1543 Noble titles created in 1756 Extinct earldoms in the Jacobite Peerage Peerages created with special remainders