Lucius (McEdward) O'Brien, 13th Baron Inchiquin (5 December 1800 – 22 March 1872), known as Sir Lucius O'Brien, 5th Baronet from 1837 to 1855, was an Irish politician and nobleman. He is remembered respectfully in County Clare for his relief work during the famine years.
Biography
He was born at
Dromoland Castle
Dromoland Castle () 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 Michelin star in 1995, ...
in 1800, the eldest son of
Sir Edward O'Brien, 4th Baronet
Sir Edward O'Brien, 4th Baronet (17 April 1773 – 13 March 1837) was an Irish parliamentarian who sat in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1802 to 1826.
He was the son of Sir Lucius O'Brien, 3rd Baronet (1731–1795) and Anne F ...
and Charlotte Smith. He was educated at
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...
, graduating with a B.A. in 1825. In 1826, he succeeded his father as the
Tory
A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...
Member of Parliament 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 ...
, but was unseated in 1830 by Whig candidates. He unsuccessfully contested the county again in 1835, but was instead appointed
High Sheriff of Clare
The High Sheriff of Clare was a High Sheriff title. Records show that the title was in existence from at least the late 16th century, though it is not used today in the modern Republic of Ireland. The title existed within County Clare in the west ...
for that year. Upon the death of his father in 1837, he succeeded to the baronetcy and was appointed
Lord Lieutenant of Clare
This is a list of people who served as Lord Lieutenant of County Clare.
There were lieutenants of counties in Ireland until the reign of James II of England, James II, when they were renamed governors. The office of Lord Lieutenant was recreated o ...
in 1843.
He again contested Clare in 1847, topping the poll and ousting Cornelius O'Brien. In 1848, he published a book, ''Ireland in 1848: The Late Famine and the Poor Laws''. That same year, his brother
William Smith O'Brien
William Smith O'Brien (; 17 October 1803 – 18 June 1864) was an Irish republicanism, Irish republican who, in the course of Ireland's Great Famine (Ireland), Great Famine, had been converted to the cause of Irish nationalism, national i ...
, a Liberal, led an abortive rebellion and narrowly escaped hanging. O'Brien did not contest Clare in 1852.
In 1855, he inherited the title of
Baron Inchiquin
Baron Inchiquin () is one of the older titles in the Peerage of Ireland. It was one of two titles created on 1 July 1543 for Murrough O'Brien, Prince of Thomond, who claimed descent from Brian Boru, a High King of Ireland. The English titles ...
from his ninth cousin, the last Marquess of Thomond, and was confirmed in this right by the Lords Committee of Privileges in 1862. He was elected as an
Irish representative peer
This is a list of representative peers elected from the Peerage of Ireland to sit in the British House of Lords after the Kingdom of Ireland was brought into union with the Kingdom of Great Britain. No new members were added to the House after ...
O'Brien married in 1837 Mary FitzGerald, daughter of William FitzGerald of Adelphi and Corofin, and together they had six children:
* Edward O'Brien, 14th Baron Inchiquin (1839–1900)
*Hon. Charlotte Anne O'Brien (d.1918), who married in 1866 Rev. George Stopford Ram (1838–1889), a maternal grandson of the 3rd Earl of Courtown, and left nine children.
*Hon. Mary Grace O'Brien (d.1912), who married in 1874 Abel John Ram, brother of her sister´s husband, and left four children.
*Hon. Juliana Cecilia O'Brien (d.1925), married William Edward Armstrong Macdonnell of Newhall
*Hon. Ellen Geraldine O'Brien (d.1860)
*Hon. Augusta Louisa Jane O'Brien (d.1861)
After the death of his first wife, he re-married in 1854 Louisa Finucane, daughter of Major James Finucane, and had another seven children:
*Hon. Anastasia Kathleen Lucia O'Brien (1856–1938)
*Hon. Lucius Murrough O'Brien (1857–1939)
*Hon. Nora Louisa Jane O'Brien (1859–1927)
*Hon. Blanche Louisa O'Brien (1860–1945)
*Hon. Alica Amabel O'Brien (1860–1939)
*Hon. William Henry Ernest Robert Turlough O'Brien (1863–1943)
*Hon. Louisa Anna Maria O'Brien (1863–1940)
Notes
References
*
* ''The Parliaments of England'' by Henry Stooks Smith (1st edition published in three volumes 1844-50), second edition edited (in one volume) by F.W.S. Craig (Political Reference Publications 1973)) ''out of copyright''
Lucius
Lucius is a masculine given name derived from Lucius (Latin ; ), abbreviated L., one of the small group of common Latin forenames () found in the culture of ancient Rome. Lucius probably derives from Latin word ( gen. ), meaning "light" (<
High sheriffs of Clare13Irish chiefs of the name