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 Henry O'Brien, 7th Earl of Thomond PC (Ire) (c. 16202 May 1691) was an Irish peer and Chief of Clan O'Brien. He was styled Lord Ibrackan from 1639 to 1657. O'Brien was the son of Barnabas O'Brien, 6th Earl of Thomond and Anne Fermor. In 164 ...

, and his first wife, and cousin, Anne O'Brien. He married Katherine Stuart, 7th Baroness Clifton, daughter of George Stuart, 9th Seigneur d'Aubigny and Lady Katherine Howard: the Aubigny Stuarts were a junior branch of the reigning

House of Stuart The House of Stuart, originally spelled Stewart, also known as the Stuart dynasty, was a dynasty, royal house of Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland and later Kingdom of Great Britain, Great ...

. They had six children (of whom three died young): *Donough O'Brien, Lord Ibrackan (1663–1682), lost in the sinking of HMS ''Gloucester'' *Hon. Henry O'Brien (b. & d. 1665) *Hon. Charles O'Brien (b. & d. 1666) *Hon. George O'Brien, died young *Hon. Mary O'Brien (d. 1683), married John FitzGerald, 18th Earl of Kildare *Katherine Hyde, 8th Baroness Clifton (d. 1706), married

Edward Hyde, 3rd Earl of Clarendon Edward Hyde, 3rd Earl of Clarendon (28 November 1661 – 31 March 1723), styled Viscount Cornbury between 1674 and 1709, was an English Army officer, politician and colonial administrator. He was propelled into the forefront of English polit ...

In 1661, he represented

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 ...

in the

Parliament of Ireland The Parliament of Ireland () was the legislature of the Lordship of Ireland, and later the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1297 until the end of 1800. It was modelled on the Parliament of England and from 1537 comprised two chambers: the Irish Hou ...

, and from 1670 until his death in 1678,

Northampton Northampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is sit ...

. In 1673, he was appointed to the

Privy Council of Ireland His or Her Majesty's Privy Council in Ireland, commonly called the Privy Council of Ireland, Irish Privy Council, or in earlier centuries the Irish Council, was the institution within the Dublin Castle administration which exercised formal executi ...

. His wife's relationship with Charles II gave them a valuable opening at Court, where they already had a friend in Sir Joseph Williamson and they enjoyed high favour in the 1660s. He died of disease while in camp with his regiment in

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

. His courtesy title passed to his younger half-brother Henry Horatio O'Brien, Lord Ibrackan. Katherine within three months married their old friend, the statesman Sir Joseph Williamson. The speed of her remarriage gave rise to unkind rumours that the pair had been lovers, and the marriage was disapproved of, even by her children, since Williamson, the son of a country vicar, was not considered a suitable match for a connection of the King. He is a major character in ''The Piccadilly Plot'', the seventh in the Thomas Chaloner mystery novels by

Susanna Gregory Susanna Gregory is the pseudonym of Elizabeth Cruwys, a Cambridge academic who was previously a coroner's officer. She writes detective fiction, and is noted for her series of mediaeval mysteries featuring Matthew Bartholomew, a teacher of medi ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ibrackan, Henry OBrien, Lord 1640s births 1678 deaths English courtesy barons and lords of Parliament Heirs apparent who never acceded English MPs 1661–1679 O'Brien, Henry Members of the Privy Council of Ireland

Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

Politicians from County Clare 17th-century Irish people O'Brien, Henry