Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

James O'Hara, 2nd Baron Tyrawley and 1st Baron Kilmaine, PC (1682 – 14 July 1774) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officer. After serving as a junior officer in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and the

Low Countries The Low Countries (; ), historically also known as the Netherlands (), is a coastal lowland region in Northwestern Europe forming the lower Drainage basin, basin of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta and consisting today of the three modern "Bene ...

during the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish E ...

, he went on to become British ambassador to

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

establishing a close relationship with King John V there. He undertook a tour as British ambassador to

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

before becoming

Governor of Gibraltar The governor of Gibraltar is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territories, British overseas territory of Gibraltar. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government. The role of ...

where he set about improving the fortifications. He was briefly commander of British troops in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

but was replaced within a few months. During his military career, he was colonel of eight different regiments.

Military career

Born the son of

Charles O'Hara, 1st Baron Tyrawley Lieutenant General Charles O'Hara, 1st Baron Tyrawley (died 9 June 1724) was an Irish soldier known for his service with the British Army. From 1714 to 1721 he served as Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Irish Army. Background Born in Ireland in ...

, and Frances O'Hara (''née'' Rouse), James O'Hara was commissioned as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

in the

Royal Fusiliers The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. It was known as the 7th Regiment of Foot until the Childers Reforms of 1881. The regiment served in many war ...

on 15 March 1703. He was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

on 24 March 1705.Heathcote, p. 234 O'Hara fought at the Siege of Barcelona in April 1706 and was wounded at the

Battle of Almansa The Battle of Almansa took place on 25 April 1707, during the War of the Spanish Succession. It was fought between an army loyal to Philip V of Spain, Bourbon claimant to the Spanish throne, and one supporting his Habsburg rival, Archduke Charl ...

in April 1707 during the

. He was redeployed to the

as aide-de-camp to the

Duke of Marlborough General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, 1st Prince of Mindelheim, 1st Count of Nellenburg, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, (26 May 1650 – 16 June 1722 O.S.) was a British army officer and statesman. From a gentry family, he ...

and was wounded again at the

Battle of Malplaquet The Battle of Malplaquet took place on 11 September 1709 during the War of the Spanish Succession, near Taisnières-sur-Hon in modern France, then part of the Spanish Netherlands. A French army of around 75,000 men, commanded by the Duke of V ...

in September 1709. He succeeded his father as

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

of the Royal Fusiliers in January 1713 and then served with his regiment in

Minorca Menorca or Minorca (from , later ''Minorica'') is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Mallorca. Its capital is Maó, situated on the is ...

for several years. For this he was appointed an aide-de-camp to the King in 1717 and, while serving in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, was created Baron Kilmaine in the

Peerage of Ireland The peerage of Ireland consists of those Peerage, titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lordship of Ireland, Lord or Monarchy of Ireland, King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great B ...

on 2 January 1722. He succeeded his father as 2nd Baron Tyrawley in June 1724. Lord Tyrawley and Kilmaine (as he was now) was appointed British ambassador to

in January 1727 establishing a close relationship with King John V there. Promoted to brigadier-general on 18 December 1735 and to major-general on 17 July 1739, he also became colonel of the 5th Regiment of Horse in August 1739. After retiring from his post in Lisbon in January 1741, he declined an American command later that year. Promoted to

lieutenant-general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was normall ...

on 5 April 1743, he became colonel of the 2nd Troop Horse Grenadier Guards later that month and was appointed British ambassador to

in November 1743. He retired from the Saint Petersburg post in February 1745. Lord Tyrawley became colonel of the 3rd Troop of Horse Guards in April 1745 and colonel of the Lord Tyrawley's Regiment in December 1746 before becoming

Governor of Minorca Below is a list of (known) governors of British Minorca from the time of the British occupation in 1708 until the British relinquished control of the island for the last time in 1802. Background It was commonplace for governors to be absent from ...

in 1747. He was elected

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

in January 1748. He went on to become colonel of the 14th Regiment of Dragoons in July 1749, colonel of the 3rd (King's Own) Regiment of Dragoons in July 1752 and colonel of the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarchy; due to this, it often ...

in April 1755. Tyrawley became

in 1756 and set about improving the fortifications. These changes came under criticism from William Skinner who was British Chief Engineer. The two of them were called before the bar of the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

where Lord Tyrawley harangued Skinner who took the anger in good humour. Tyrawley went on to be Governor of Portsmouth in 1759. Promoted to full

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

on 14 March 1761, Lord Tyrawley and Kilmaine returned to

as British ambassador and commander of British troops in February 1762 for the duration of the

but was replaced by General John Burgoyne in July 1762 and returned to England in protest. Promoted to

field marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

on 10 June 1763, he moved to Milbourne House in

Barnes Barnes may refer to: People *Barnes (name), a family name and a given name (includes lists of people with that name) Places United Kingdom * Barnes, London, England ** Barnes railway station **Barnes Bridge railway station ** Barnes High Stree ...

in 1770. He died at

Twickenham Twickenham ( ) is a suburban district of London, England, on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historic counties of England, Historically in Middlesex, since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, who ...

on 14 July 1774 and was buried in the chapel of the

Royal Hospital Chelsea The Royal Hospital Chelsea is an Old soldiers' home, Old Soldiers' retirement home and nursing home for some 300 veterans of the British Army. Founded as an almshouse — the ancient sense of the word "hospital" — by King Charles II of Eng ...

.Heathcote, p. 235

Family

In November 1724, Lord Tyrawley and Kilmaine married Mary Stewart, daughter of The 2nd Viscount Mountjoy. He had no children by this marriage but had at least two illegitimate children including

Charles O'Hara General Charles O'Hara (1740 – 25 February 1802) was a British Army officer who served in the Seven Years' War, the American War of Independence, and the French Revolutionary War and later served as governor of Gibraltar. He served with d ...

, who followed him into the Army, and

George Anne Bellamy George Anne Bellamy (''née'' O'Hara; 23 April 173116 February 1788) was an Irish people, Irish actress. She took leading roles at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Her success was rapid, participating in the rivalry for popular favor in ''Romeo and J ...

, who became an actress. The diarist Sylas Neville mentions meeting a naval officer stationed at Great Yarmouth in 1771 "whose name is O'Hara, a natural son of Lord Tyrawley" but this is likely to have been naval Lieutenant William Henry King O'Hara (d. 1789).

References

Sources

* Baron's Tyrawley accounts from Russia have been released in: Сборник Императорского русского исторического общества, том 102: Дипломатическая переписка английских послов и посланников при русском дворе: Сообщ. из англ. гос. архива М-ва иностр., часть 12-ая: 1744 - 1745 г., С -Петербург 1898. * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Tyrawley, James Ohara, 2nd Baron 1682 births 1774 deaths People from County Mayo Military personnel from County Galway 14th King's Hussars officers 3rd The King's Own Hussars officers 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards officers Barons in the Peerage of Ireland British field marshals British Life Guards officers Coldstream Guards officers Royal Fusiliers officers Royal Lincolnshire Regiment officers Irish officers in the British Army Ambassadors of Great Britain to Portugal Members of the Privy Council of Ireland Fellows of the Royal Society British Army personnel of the War of the Spanish Succession Peers of Ireland created by George I British Army personnel of the Seven Years' War