Murrough MacDermod O'Brien, 1st Earl of Inchiquin, September 1614 – 9 September 1673, was an Irish nobleman and soldier from Munster. Brought up a Protestant, he helped secure Ireland for Parliament during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, but later joined the exiled Charles II.
Following the Irish Rebellion of 1641 and commencement of the Irish Confederate Wars, Charles I appointed Inchiquin governor of Munster. He had some small success, but was hampered by lack of funds. His forces dispersed at the truce of 1643.
Murrough visited Charles I at Oxford in 1644, but found it expedient to submit to the English Parliament the same year as the Parliamentarians being masters of sea, were the only people who could help the Munster Protestants defend themselves against Roman Catholics. He was made President of Munster by Parliament, and sought to enhance his position with the supplies brought to him by Philip Sidney, Lord Lisle (afterwards the 3rd earl of Leicester).
In 1647, Murrough became gradually master of the south of Ireland declaring for Charles II in 1648. He fortified the southern ports against Parliament and made a truce with the Irish Confederates in 1648. He was joined by Duke of Ormonde, with whom he got possession of Drogheda and Dundalk. However he lost influence in Munster, which revolted after Oliver Cromwell's landing in 1649. He captured and attempted to hold Kilmallock in late 1649, but bowing to the inevitable and after retiring west of the River Shannon he left Ireland for France in early 1650.
Made one of the royal council and created Earl of Inchiquin in 1654; Murrough served under the French in Catalonia in 1654. In 1656 he was involved in the Sexby plot to assassinate Oliver Cromwell and restore the Monarchy. In 1660 he was taken prisoner by the Algerines, and was ransomed the same year. He became high steward of Queen Henrietta Maria's household, and retired to Ireland living quietly after 1663.
Birth and origins Murrough was born in September 1614, eldest son of Dermod O'Brien, 5th Baron Inchiquin (1594–1624) and Ellen, eldest daughter of Sir Edmond Fitzgerald of Cloyne. His father was the 5th Baron Inchiquin. His father's family claimed descent from Brian Boru, High King of Ireland in the early 11th century. His mother came from a cadet branch of the FitzGerald dynasty. His surviving siblings included Honoria (1612–1655?), Mary (1615–after 1650), who later married Michael Boyle (archbishop of Armagh), Henry who became a Royalist Lieutenant-colonel (died 1645), Christopher who became a Confederate Lieutenant-colonel (died 1664), and Ann. He also had an illegitimate half-brother, Murtough O'Brien (1620–1674), who ended his career as a general in the Spanish army.
Early life His grandfather and namesake Murrough O'Brien, 4th Baron Inchiquin was killed in July 1597 at the passage of the Erne, fighting for Queen Elizabeth I. It appears from an inquisition taken after the death of his father that Inchiquin was born in September 1614. He became the 6th Baron on the death of his father in 1624; his wardship was given to Patrick FitzMaurice, and the custody of his property to Sir William St. Leger, Lord President of Munster, whose daughter Elizabeth he married. As part of a deliberate government policy, unlike his Gaelic Irish contemporaries and the rest of his family, he was brought up as a Protestant. He had a special livery of his lands in 1636 and afterwards went to study war in the French army, which was engaged in a bitter struggle against the Habsburg Empire. He returned in 1639, and prudently yielded to Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford's high-handed scheme for the colonisation of County Clare. In a letter to Wentworth, Charles I took notice of this, and directed that he should not "in course of plantation have the fourth part of his lands in that county taken from him as from the other the natives there. cites: Lodge On 2 April 1640 he was made vice-president of Munster and sat as a peer in the Irish Parliament which Strafford held that year.
Marriage In 1635 Inchiquin married Elizabeth St Leger (1618–1685).
They had three sons: William (1638–1692) Charles, who was killed at the Siege of Maastricht (1673) John, who served in the Dutch army under the Prince of Orange
—and four daughters: Elizabeth (died 1688), who married at least twice Honora (died 1718), who married Theobald Bourke, 3rd Baron Bourke of Brittas (died after 1691) Mary (died after 1704), who married Henry Boyle and their son became Henry, 1st Earl of Shannon Finola, who died childless
The Irish Rebellion The great Irish rebellion began on 23 October 1641, and in December Inchiquin accompanied the president in an expedition against the Leinster rebels who were harassing Waterford and Tipperary. All the prisoners taken in a fight near Carrick-on-Suir were executed by martial law. cites: Carte, Ormonde, i. 264. In April 1642, during the siege of Cork by Viscount Muskerry with four thousand men, Inchiquin, "one of the young and noble-spirited commanders," led a sally of two troops of horse and three hundred musketeers, which broke up the Irish camp for a time. Muskerry left baggage and provisions behind, and Inchiquin was able to ship guns and to take two castles on the west side of Cork harbour which had annoyed the navigation. cites: Lismore Papers, v. 44; Hist. MSS. Comm. 5th Rep. p. 346 St. Leger died on 2 July, and Inchiquin became the legal governor of Munster, as he announced to the lord justices before the end of the month. cites: Carte, letter 95 David Barry, 1st Earl of Barrymore, was associated with him in the civil government but died on Michaelmas day. Alexander Forbes, 11th Lord Forbes, with Hugh Peters as his chaplain, landed at Kinsale early in July with forces provided by adventurers in England; but he paid no attention to Inchiquin's request for help, and he affected nothing. On 20 August Inchiquin, accompanied by Barrymore, Viscount Boyle of Kinalmeaky, and Roger Boyle, Lord Broghill, with only two thousand foot and four hundred horse, overthrew General Garret Barry at Battle of Liscarrol with seven thousand foot and fifteen hundred horse; but he lacked means to improve his victory, though seven hundred are said to have fallen on one side and only twelve on the other. He was himself wounded in the head and hand.
Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork, and his sons did much to preserve the counties of Cork and Waterford, and Inchiquin co-operated with them, but not cordially. The difficulty was to support an army on any terms. In November 1642 Inchiquin seized all the tobacco in the hands of the patentees at Cork, Youghal, and Kinsale, cites: Smith, Hist, of Cork, i. 142; Youghal Council Book and no compensation was paid until after the restoration. The cattle and corn in the districts under his control were taken of course. The king had no money to give, and the English Parliament had neither time to attend to Ireland nor money to entrust to unsafe hands. Inchiquin gave a commission to the commandant at Youghal as early as 26 July 1642 to execute martial law thereupon both soldiers and civilians, and his dealings with the town are recorded in the "Council Book". The raw material of soldiers was abundant, for fighting was now the only industry; but there were no means of paying them. Yet the English Parliament sent men to Ireland without arms, for no purpose, wrote Inchiquin to James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde, "unless it be to plot that these men shall with jawbones kill so many rebels". cites: Carte, letter 11 3. At the end of May 1643 he took the field with four thousand foot and four hundred horse, but could only threaten Kilmallock, "for want of provisions and money for the officers", and he begged the Earl of Cork to lend or borrow £300 for victualling Youghal. cites: Smith, ii. 142. While threatening Kinsale himself, he sent one detachment as far as Tralee, who had to subsist on a country then in Irish hands. Another small force was sent to Fermoy, but suffered a crushing defeat at Cloghleagh on 4 June from a body of horse under James Tuchet, 3rd Earl of Castlehaven, who had been specially sent by the Kilkenny confederation. cites: Castlehaven, Memoirs, p. 40
Muskerry threatened the county of Waterford, and Inchiquin, according to his own account, intrigued with him until he was in a position to fight. The Irish leader offered to spare Youghal and its district if Cappoquin and Lismore surrendered at once; otherwise, he would burn both places. By a mixture of threats and promises, Inchiquin induced him to say that he would withdraw if Cappoquin and Lismore were not taken by a certain day. Until that date had passed he was not to be attacked. Inchiquin had so garrisoned Cappoquin as to make it safe for a much longer time, and the Earl of Cork's Lismore Castle was also well prepared. The situation was maintained with little sincerity on either side until Cork himself landed with orders from Charles I to promote a truce. Active hostilities ceased, and Muskerry, who had been outwitted, tried to be even with Inchiquin by telling the king that he designed to betray the two towns to the Irish – a statement without foundation. "If ever", he wrote to an officer who had been present during the whole period, "I did anything towards the defence of Munster against the Irish, this was what I had cause to brag of". cites: Carte, letters 306, 317.
Cessation of arms
The cessation of arms for a year, which Ormonde, at the king's command, concluded with the confederates on 15 September 1643, was formally approved by Inchiquin in a document which he signed along with Marquess of Clanricarde and many other persons of distinction, cites: Carte, letters 172 but he did not think it really favourable to the cause of the Irish Protestants. The immediate result was that a great part of the force under his orders was sent to serve the king in England, two regiments being assigned to Lord Hopton in Sussex, cites: Carte, letters 232 and the rest scattered under various leaders. Eight hundred of Inchiquin's men, described as "native Irish rebels", landed at Weymouth, under his brother Henry, cites: Whitelocke, Memorials, p. 80, where the brothers are confounded and some were hanged as such (see Ordinance of no quarter to the Irish), though their old general was by that time serving the English Parliamentary cause. cites: Whitelocke, Memorials, p.95 His own regiment of horse went over before the cessation, and was present before Gloucester in August and September, but did little except plunder the country. cites: Somen Tracts, v. 335
Parliamentary Allegiance