Turlough O'Brien

Alfred Webb

A Compendium of Irish Biography

1878

O'Brien, Turlough, King of Munster, nephew of preceding, was born about 1009, and upon the defeat of his uncle, Donough, assumed the sovereignty. In 1067 he and his allies marched against Connaught, but were caught in an ambush and defeated. Next year saw Turlough without a competitor, his cousin Murrough having been killed in a predatory excursion into Teffia. In 1073 he made preparations to reduce Ulster to obedience; but was defeated near Ardee. Better fortune awaited him in 1076, when he invaded Connaught and compelled the submission of Roderic O'Conor.

On the 29th October 1084, his son Murtough, with several allies, including the Danes of Dublin, fought an indecisive battle with the opposing Munstermen in Leinster. Four thousand were left dead on the field, including many princes of the O'Brien blood. In 1085 Turlough led a successful incursion into Ulster. He died at Kincora next year (1086), aged 76. He was twice married — to Gormlaith, a princess of Ely, and to Dervorghall, daughter of a prince of Ossory. Turlough O'Brien is said to have presented to William Rufus the oak with which the roof of Westminster Hall is constructed.

Sources

196. Irishmen, Lives of Illustrious and Distinguished, Rev. James Wills, D.D. 6 vols. or 12 parts. Dublin, 1840-'7.

263. O'Briens, Historical Memoir of the: John O'Donoghue. Dublin, 1860.

Featured Books

An American widow’s account of her travels in Ireland in 1844–45 on the eve of the Great Famine:

Ireland’s Welcome to the Stranger

Sailing from New York, she set out to determine the condition of the Irish poor and discover why so many were emigrating to her home country.

Mrs Nicholson’s recollections of her tour among the peasantry are still revealing and gripping today.

The author returned to Ireland in 1847–49 to help with famine relief and recorded those experiences in the rather harrowing: Annals of the Famine in Ireland.

See more of our books »

The Ocean Plague: or, A Voyage to Quebec in an Irish Emigrant Vessel is based upon the diary of Robert Whyte who, in 1847, crossed the Atlantic from Dublin to Quebec in an Irish emigrant ship. His account of the journey provides invaluable eyewitness testimony to the trauma and tragedy that many emigrants had to face en route to their new lives in Canada and America. The book is also available in Kindle.

The Irish in America by John F. Maguire provides a substantial and invaluable account of the extreme difficulties faced by pioneer Irish immigrants in North America during the 19th Century. The book is also available in Kindle.

The Scotch-Irish in America tells the story of how the hardy breed of men and women, who in America came to be known as the ‘Scotch-Irish’, was forged in the north of Ireland during the seventeenth century. It relates the circumstances under which the great exodus to the New World began, the trials and tribulations faced by these tough American pioneers and the enduring influence they came to exert on the politics, education and religion of the country.

Show fewer titles