Henry O'Brien, 5th Earl of Thomond

Henry O'Brien, 5th Earl of Thomond PC (Ire) (1588–1639), styled Lord Ibrickane until 1624, was summoned to the House of Lords of the Irish Parliament of 1613–1615.

Henry O'Brien
Earl of Thomond
Tenure	1624–1639
Predecessor	Donogh, 4th Earl
Successor	Barnabas, 6th Earl
Died	26 July 1639
Buried	St Mary's Cathedral, Limerick
Spouse(s)	Mary Brereton
Issue Detail	Margaret, & others
Father	Donogh, 4th Earl
Mother	Elizabeth FitzGerald

Birth and origins

Henry O'Brien, 5th Earl of Thomond

Henry was born the eldest son of Donogh O'Brien and Elizabeth FitzGerald. His father was the 4th Earl of Thomond. His father's family were the O'Briens, an important Gaelic Irish dynasty, that descended from Brian Boru, medieval high king of Ireland.^[1]

Henry's mother was the fourth daughter of Gerald FitzGerald, 11th Earl of Kildare and his wife Mabel Brown.

Family tree

Henry O'Brien with wife, parents, and other selected relatives.[a] Conor 3rd Earl c. 1535 – 1581[4] Una O'Brien d. 1589 Gerald FitzGerald 11th Earl Kildare 1525–1585 Helen Roche d. 1583 Donogh 4th Earl d. 1624 Elizabeth FitzGerald d. 1617 Margaret O'Brien Henry 5th Earl c. 1588 – 1639 Mary Brereton d. 1640 Barnabas 6th Earl c. 1590 – 1657 Edward 2nd Marquess Worcester 1602–1667 Margaret O'Brien d. 1681 Henry 7th Earl 1620–1691 Henry Horatio d. 1690 d.v.p.* Henry 8th Earl 1688–1741 Legend XXX Subject of the article XXX Earls of Thomond XXX Marquess of Worcester *d.v.p. = predeceased his father (decessit vita patris)

Marriage and children

On 13 July 1608 O'Brien married Mary Brereton, a rich heiress, the only daughter of William Brereton, 1st Baron Brereton and Margaret Savage.^[5]

Henry and Mary had five daughters:

1. Lady Mary (died 1686) married, on 24 June 1627, Charles Cokayne, 1st Viscount Cullen^[6]
2. Lady Margaret, who married first Edward Somerset, 2nd Marquess of Worcester and secondly Donough Kearney^[7]
3. Lady Elisabeth (1616–1659) married, on 21 August 1636, Dutton Gerard, 3rd Baron Gerard (1613–1640), grandson of Thomas Gerard, 1st Baron Gerard^[8]
4. Lady Anne (died 1645) married, in 1641, Henry O'Brien, 7th Earl of Thomond^[9]
5. Lady Honora married first Sir Francis Inglefield, knight of Wotton-Bassett, and secondly Sir Robert Howard, son of the Earl of Berkshire^[10]

House of Lords

O'Brien was summoned on 3 March 1613 as Lord Ibrickane to the Irish House of Lords of the Irish Parliament of 1613–1615, the only parliament of King James I in Ireland.^[11]

5th Earl

Ibrickane succeeded his father on 5 September 1624 as the 5th Earl of Thomond.^[12]

Death

Thomond died in 1639 and was buried in St Mary's Cathedral, Limerick.^[13] He had no son and was succeeded in his titles by his brother Barnabas O'Brien, 6th Earl of Thomond.