Historical Memoir of the O’Briens. With Notes, Appendix, and a Genealogical Table of their Several Branches. Compiled from the Irish Annalists. Dublin: Hodges, Smiths, & Co., 1860. First Edition. Pp xxii, 551.Publisher’s decorated cloth boards, lettered in gilt with crest to upper cover. A fine bright copy.

Gift inscription of Lord Inchiquin to title page.

The story of the O’Brien family from the dawn of history up to the end of the eighteenth century, and the author John O’Donoghue, uses the standard reference works of Irish history to build his story. These include The Annals of the Four Masters, The Annals of Innisfallen, The Annals of Ulster.

John O’Donoghue, barrister, was better known as a literary man. He was a close friend of Daniel O’Connell during the Repeal agitation, being then the ‘editor’ of the Freeman’s Journal, and he gave powerful and effective expression to the national sentiment.

Baron Inchiquin is one of the older titles in the Peerage of Ireland. It was one of two titles created on 1 July 1543 for Murrough O’Brien, Prince of Thomond, who was descended from the great high king Brian Boru. This copy presumably inscribed by Edward Donough O’Brien, 14th Baron Inchiquin.