Oliver O'Gara was an Irish politician and soldier of the 17th and 18th centuries who was closely identified with the Jacobite cause.

Family background

He was descended from the

Ó Gadhra Ó Gadhra or O'Gara is an Ireland, Irish surname which originated in the kingdom of Luighne Connacht. Variants include Garry (surname), Garry, Geary (surname), Geary, Gerry, and Guiry (disambiguation), Guiry. Background According to historian C. ...

's of

Luighne Connacht Luighne Connacht was a territory located in north-central Connacht, on the borders of what is now County Mayo and County Sligo, Ireland. The Tuatha of Luighne was co-extensive with the modern day boundary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Achon ...

. After the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

his family had remained

Roman Catholics The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

. The O'Garas remained prominent figures in

County Sligo County Sligo ( , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region and is part of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. Sligo is the administrative capital and largest town in ...

. Oliver was the son Captain John O'Gara and Mary O'Conor. His paternal grandparents were

Fearghal Ó Gadhra Fearghal Ó Gadhra (c. 1597 – after 1660), sometimes referred to as Farrell O'Gara, was lord of Coolavin, and patron of the ''Annals of the Four Masters''. Family background Ó Gadhra was the son of Tadhg mac Oilill Ó Gadhra of Coolavin, loc ...

(Farell O'Gara) and Isobel Taaffe. Isobel Taaffe was a sister of John Taaffe, 1st Viscount Taaffe of Corren. His maternal grandparents were Cathal O'Conor of Bellanagare Castle and Anne O'Molloy daughter of William 'Mor' O'Molloy, The O'Molloy. Cathal O'Conor was the third son of Sir Hugh O'Conor, O'Conor Don of Ballintober Castle in

County Roscommon County Roscommon () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is part of the province of Connacht and the Northern and Western Region. It is the List of Irish counties by area, 11th largest Irish county by area and Li ...

and Mary O'Rourke daughter of Sir Brian O'Rourke. Therefore, Oliver was a first cousin to the father of Charles O'Conor.

Life

In 1689 O'Gara was a member of the

Patriot Parliament Patriot Parliament is the name commonly used for the Irish Parliament session called by King James II during the Williamite War in Ireland which lasted from 1688 to 1691. The first since 1666, it held only one session, which lasted from 7 May ...

where he represented the constituency of

. During the

War of the Two Kings The Williamite War in Ireland took place from March 1689 to October 1691. Fought between Jacobite supporters of James II and those of his successor, William III, it resulted in a Williamite victory. It is generally viewed as a related conflic ...

he was given command of a newly raised infantry regiment in the

Irish Army The Irish Army () is the land component of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Defence Forces of Republic of Ireland, Ireland.The Defence Forces are made up of the Permanent Defence Forces – the standing branches – and the Reserve Defence Forces. ...

which took part in an expedition led by

Patrick Sarsfield Patrick Sarsfield, 1st Earl of Lucan ( 1655 – 21 August 1693) was an Irish army officer. Killed at Battle of Landen, Landen in 1693 while serving in the French Royal Army, he is now best remembered as an Irish patriot and military hero. Born ...

to capture the Protestant-held town of

Sligo Sligo ( ; , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of 20,608 in 2022, it is the county's largest urban centre (constituting 2 ...

. In 1690 O'Gara commanded the Jacobite garrison at Jamestown in

County Leitrim County Leitrim ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the village of Leitrim, County Leitr ...

, repulsing an advance by a much larger force of Williamite troops under James Douglas. In 1696 O'Gara became the proprietor of O'Gara's Dragoons. O'Gara served with his regiment at the decisive

Battle of Aughrim The Battle of Aughrim () was the decisive battle of the Williamite War in Ireland. It was fought between the largely Irish Army (Kingdom of Ireland), Irish Jacobitism, Jacobite army loyal to James II of England, James II and the forces of Will ...

, which ended in Jacobite defeat. Following the

Treaty of Limerick The Treaty of Limerick (), signed on 3 October 1691, ended the Williamite War in Ireland, a conflict related to the Nine Years' War (1688–1697). It consisted of two separate agreements, one with military terms of surrender, signed by commander ...

, O'Gara acted as a hostage until it was clear the terms had been honoured. He then went into exile as a Wild Geese, joining the Irish Brigade of the French Army. He was an influential figure at the Jacobite court-in-exile at Saint-Germain. In 1727 the exiled James III awarded him a

baronetcy A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

and he was styled by the Jacobites as Sir Oliver O'Gara, but this was never recognised by the

Irish government The Government of Ireland () is the executive authority of Ireland, headed by the , the head of government. The government – also known as the cabinet – is composed of ministers, each of whom must be a member of the , which consists of ...

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

Marriage and issue

O'Gara married Mary Fleming, daughter of Randall Fleming, 21st Baron Slane a leading

Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

family of

The Pale The Pale ( Irish: ''An Pháil'') or the English Pale (' or ') was the part of Ireland directly under the control of the English government in the Late Middle Ages. It had been reduced by the late 15th century to an area along the east coast s ...

. She was the widow of Richard Fleming Esq of

County Meath County Meath ( ; or simply , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast, County ...

and had a daughter named Bridget by that union. Bridget later married Randell Plunkett, 10th Baron Dunsany. He had five children with her, all of them born in France. The three eldest of his four sons became military men, joining the armies of various

Continental Continental may refer to: Places * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' (album), an album by Saint Etienne * Continen ...

nations. His eldest son John Patrick O'Gara rose to the rank of

Brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

in the Spanish service. The youngest Charles O'Gara rose to become a senior courtier at the Austrian court in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

.The Jacobite Peerage p.135-36

References

Bibliography

* Wauchope, Piers. ''Patrick Sarsfield and the Williamite War''. Irish Academic Press, 1992. * Melville Henry Massue Ruvigny Et Raineval. ''The Jacobite Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage, and Grants of Honour''. Genealogical Publishing, 2003. {{DEFAULTSORT:OGara, Oliver Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown 17th-century Irish military personnel 18th-century Irish military personnel Politicians from County Sligo Baronets in the Jacobite peerage Wild Geese (soldiers) Irish Jacobites Irish MPs 1689 Irish emigrants to France Military personnel from County Sligo Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Sligo constituencies