O'Brien, William Smith, 1803–64, Irish revolutionary. He entered Parliament from Ireland in 1828 and worked for Catholic Emancipation, Irish poor relief, and state support of the Irish Catholic clergy. O'Brien's political opinions moved steadily to the left. At first he opposed the agitation of Daniel O'Connell O'Connell, Daniel, 1775–1847, Irish political leader. He is known as the Liberator. Admitted to the Irish bar in 1798, O'Connell built up a lucrative law practice.
..... Click the link for more information. to repeal the parliamentary union of Great Britain and Ireland, believing that the British Parliament would grant some relief to Ireland, but in 1843 he joined the Repeal Association and rapidly became O'Connell's second in the Irish nationalist struggle. O'Brien's group, called Young Ireland, became convinced that only direct action would free Ireland, and in 1846, with John Mitchel Mitchel, John, 1815–75, Irish revolutionist and journalist. A practicing lawyer, Mitchel contributed articles to the Nation (Dublin) and the United Irishman, which he founded in 1848, calling for rebellion against Britain.
..... Click the link for more information. , Thomas Francis Meagher Meagher, Thomas Francis (mär), 1823–67, Irish revolutionary and Union general in the American Civil War, b. Waterford, Ireland.
..... Click the link for more information. , and Charles Gavan Duffy Duffy, Sir Charles Gavan, 1816–1903, Irish-Australian statesman. He founded (1842) the Nation, a patriotic Irish literary journal. Duffy agitated for the repeal of the union of Ireland and England, first working with Daniel O'Connell and then with the
..... Click the link for more information. , O'Brien seceded from O'Connell's association to form the Irish Confederation. The aggravation of the famine and Mitchel's arrest and conviction in 1848 determined them to rise against the government. The revolt was abortive, and the only engagement was an attempt to attack a police detachment in Co. Tipperary. O'Brien was arrested and sentenced to death for treason, but the sentence was commuted to transportation to Tasmania. He received a full pardon in 1856. Afterward he returned to Ireland and traveled on the Continent and in America, but he was no longer politically active.
(born Oct. 17, 1803, Dromoland, County Clare, Ire.—died June 18, 1864, Bangor, Caernarvonshire, Wales) Irish political insurgent. He served in the British House of Commons (1828–48) and initially supported the Anglo-Irish legislative union (see Act of Union). In 1843 he joined the anti-union Repeal Association, and in 1846 he broke with Daniel O'Connell to lead the radical Young Ireland movement. In 1848 he supported violent revolution and led an abortive insurrection in County Tipperary. Convicted of high treason, he received a death sentence that was commuted to exile in Tasmania. He was released in 1854 and pardoned in 1856.
..... Click the link for more information. to repeal the parliamentary union of Great Britain and Ireland, believing that the British Parliament would grant some relief to Ireland, but in 1843 he joined the Repeal Association and rapidly became O'Connell's second in the Irish nationalist struggle. O'Brien's group, called Young Ireland, became convinced that only direct action would free Ireland, and in 1846, with John Mitchel Mitchel, John, 1815–75, Irish revolutionist and journalist. A practicing lawyer, Mitchel contributed articles to the Nation (Dublin) and the United Irishman, which he founded in 1848, calling for rebellion against Britain.
..... Click the link for more information. , Thomas Francis Meagher Meagher, Thomas Francis (mär), 1823–67, Irish revolutionary and Union general in the American Civil War, b. Waterford, Ireland.
..... Click the link for more information. , and Charles Gavan Duffy Duffy, Sir Charles Gavan, 1816–1903, Irish-Australian statesman. He founded (1842) the Nation, a patriotic Irish literary journal. Duffy agitated for the repeal of the union of Ireland and England, first working with Daniel O'Connell and then with the
..... Click the link for more information. , O'Brien seceded from O'Connell's association to form the Irish Confederation. The aggravation of the famine and Mitchel's arrest and conviction in 1848 determined them to rise against the government. The revolt was abortive, and the only engagement was an attempt to attack a police detachment in Co. Tipperary. O'Brien was arrested and sentenced to death for treason, but the sentence was commuted to transportation to Tasmania. He received a full pardon in 1856. Afterward he returned to Ireland and traveled on the Continent and in America, but he was no longer politically active.
Bibliography
See D. Gwynn, Young Ireland and 1848 (1949); biography by B. Touhill (1981).
O'Brien, William Smith
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William Smith O'Brien, lithograph by H. O'Neill after a daguerreotype by Glukman, 1848
(credit: Courtesy of the trustees of the British Museum; photograph, J.R. Freeman & Co. Ltd.)
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