Biographies A-Z

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O'Brien (Ó Briain), Murchadh

O'Brien (Ó Briain), Murchadh (d. 1551), 1st earl of Thomond , was possibly third or fourth son of Toirdhealbhach Donn O'Brien (qv), lord of Thomond, and Raghnailt, daughter of Seaán MacNamara. With his brother…

O'Brien (Ó Briain), Murchadh na Ráithníghe

O'Brien (Ó Briain), Murchadh na Ráithníghe (d. 1384), lord of Arra, son of Brian Bán O'Brien (qv) (d. 1350), sometime king of Thomond and lord of Arra in Tipperary, and a daughter of Henry de Burgh. Murchadh na Ráithníghe…

O'Brien (Ó Briain), Tadhg

O'Brien (Ó Briain), Tadhg (d. 1444), king of Thomond, was eldest son of Brian Sreamach O'Brien (qv), king of Thomond, and Sláine, daughter of Lochlainn Láidir MacNamara. Nothing in the records casts light on his early…

O'Brien (Ó Briain), Tadhg an Chomhaid

O'Brien (Ó Briain), Tadhg an Chomhaid (d. 1466), king of Thomond, was son of Toirdhealbhach Bog O'Brien, king of Thomond, and Catherine, daughter of Ulick fitz Walter Burke. In 1459 he succeeded his father as king. He maintained his family's close links with the Burkes by…

O'Brien (Ó Briain), Toirdhealbhach Donn

O'Brien (Ó Briain), Toirdhealbhach Donn (d. 1528), king of Thomond, was son of Tadhg an Chomhaid O'Brien (qv), king of Thomond, and Annabella, daughter of Ulick fitz Ulick Burke. The career of Tadhg, who dramatically…

O'Brien (Ó Briain), Toirrdelbach

O'Brien (Ó Briain), Toirrdelbach (d. 1306), one of the two sons of Tadc O'Brien, prince of Thomond, and Fionnuala, daughter of Ceinnéide O'Brien, was one of the most powerful and determined Irish kings of the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries. Virtually nothing is known…

O'Brien, Oliver

This is a co-subject for the entry on O'Brien, Vincent. View the original entry.

O'Brien, Patrick

O'Brien, Patrick (1853–1917), nationalist and MP, was born in Tullamore, King's Co. (Offaly), son of James O'Brien, shopkeeper, whose family soon moved to Liverpool. He qualified as a mechanical and marine engineer at the Liverpool Institute, but soon became a successful coal…

O'Brien, Paul

O'Brien, Paul (c.1763–1820), poet, priest, and professor of Irish, was born in Moynalty, Co Meath, son of Cathal O'Brien, farmer, and his wife Máiréad Downs. Among his ancestors were a great-grandfather, William O'Brien, a poet; and a great-grandmother was a sister of…

O'Brien, Peter

O'Brien, Peter (1842–1914), Baron O'Brien of Kilfenora , lord chief justice of Ireland, was born 29 June 1842 at Carnelly House, Ballynalacken, Co. Clare, fifth son of John O'Brien, MP for Limerick (1841–52), and his wife, Ellen (née Murphy).…

O'Brien, (‘Professor’) Peter

O'Brien, (‘Professor’) Peter (1939–2003), musician, was born 28 April 1939 at the Hatch Street nursing home, Dublin, son of John (‘Jack’) O’Brien, chartered quantity surveyor, of Trenwith, Knocksinna Road, Stillorgan, Co. Dublin, with offices at 8 South Leinster Street, Dublin city, and…

O'Brien, Richard Baptist

O'Brien, Richard Baptist (1809–85), catholic priest, social and political activist, and novelist, was born 30 September 1809 at Carrick-on-Suir, Co. Tipperary. He was educated locally and began to study for the priesthood at St Patrick's College, Carlow, in 1832 at the age of 23.…

O'Brien, Richard Barry

O'Brien, Richard Barry (1847–1918), Irish nationalist biographer, historian, and publicist, was born 7 March 1847 in Kilrush, Co. Clare, third son of Patrick Barry O'Brien and Sarah O'Brien (née Hannan). In 1863 he went to Dublin, passing from the St Laurence O'Toole preparatory…

O'Brien, Sir Daniel

O'Brien, Sir Daniel (c.1577–1666), 1st Viscount Clare , politician, was the third and youngest son of Conor O'Brien (qv), 3nd earl of Thomond, and his second wife, Úna, daughter of Turlough MacBrien. His eldest brother Donough…

O'Brien, Sir Edward

O'Brien, Sir Edward (1705–65), 2nd baronet, MP, and racehorse owner, was born 7 April 1705, elder son among three children of Lucius O'Brien and his wife Catherine Keightley, daughter of Lady Frances Hyde, a sister-in-law of King James…

O'Brien, Sir Lucius Henry

O'Brien, Sir Lucius Henry (1731–95), 3rd baronet, politician, was born at Dromoland, Newmarket, Co. Clare, on 21 September 1731, the second of eight children and the eldest son of Sir Edward O'Brien (qv) (1705–65), 2nd baronet and…

O'Brien, Sir Timothy Carew

O'Brien, Sir Timothy Carew (1861–1948), 3rd baronet, international cricketer for England and Ireland, was born 5 November 1861 in Dublin, eldest son among three sons and a daughter of Timothy O'Brien and Mary O'Brien (née Carew O'Dwyer) of Dublin. His grandfather, Sir Timothy O'…

O'Brien, Sophie Raffalovich

O'Brien, Sophie Raffalovich (1860–1960), writer and activist, was born in Odessa on 15 January 1860, daughter of Herman Raffalovich , banker, and his wife, Marie. She had two brothers: André, who became well known as a homosexual aesthete, and Ernest, a banker and tsarist agent…

O'Brien, Terence Albert (Muiris Ó Briain Aradh)

O'Brien, Terence Albert (Muiris Ó Briain Aradh) (1601–51), catholic bishop of Emly and Dominican provincial, was born at Tuogh (Towerhill), in the parish of Cappamore (diocese of Emly), Co. Limerick, the son of Murchadh O'Brien Aradh. Both his parents were of the noble family of O…

O'Brien, Thomas

O'Brien, Thomas (1914–74), poet, publisher, and Spanish civil war veteran, was born 24 April 1914 in Dublin, eldest child among two sons and two daughters of Hugh O'Brien and Mary (‘Polly’) O'Brien (née Berkeley). Having attended local Christian Brothers' schools, he left formal…

O'Brien, Thomas (‘Tommy')

O'Brien, Thomas (‘Tommy') (1905–88), broadcaster and journalist, was born 20 July 1905 on Wolfe Tone St., Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, one of six sons and two daughters of Martin O'Brien, clerk in a dry-goods store, and Bridget O'Brien (née Moroney), who served ninepenny meals to…

O'Brien, Toirdhealbhach Maol

This is a co-subject for the entry on O'Brien (Ó Briain), Murchadh na Ráithníghe. View the original entry.

O'Brien, Veronica (Louise Mary)

O'Brien, Veronica (Louise Mary) (1905–98), nun, catholic lay worker and spiritual adviser to King Baudouin and Cardinal Suenens of Belgium, was born Louise Mary O'Brien on 16 August 1905 in Midleton, Co. Cork, eleventh among thirteen children of Patrick O'Brien, physician, and Kathleen…

O'Brien, Vincent

O'Brien, Vincent (1870–1948), conductor, music teacher, and répétiteur, was born in May 1870 in Dublin (where he lived all his life), son of Richard V. O'Brien and his wife, Elizabeth O'Brien (née Halton). The family's musical lineage was strong: the father was an…

O'Brien, William

O'Brien, William (c.1640–92), 2nd earl of Inchiquin , army officer and colonial governor, was the eldest son of Murrough O'Brien (qv) (c.1614–1673), 6th Baron Inchiquin and 1st earl of Inchiquin, and his wife,…