(O)Brien;
Variant Spellings; Brian, Breen, Brien, Briene, Briens, Brine, Brines, Brion, Bryan, Bryans, Bryen, Bryne, Brynes, Bryney, McBrien, McBrine, McBryan, McByrne, O'Brian, O'Brien, O'Brine, O'Bryan, O'Bryen, Crossan, Crossen, Crossin, Crosson, Cunniam.
The O'Briens claim descent from Brian Boru, High King Of Ireland who died at the battle of Clontarf in 1014 AD. Since that time a number of O'Brien septs have developed and they are to be found stretching from Waterford to Clare. It is also a name that has resumed the O prefix to a large extent.
In Irish the name is O Briain or, as we might expect, descended from Brian.
The O'Briens received a number of English titles and branches of the family have often being on the side of the English throughout Ireland's history.
Daniel O'Brien (1577-1663) was a member of the Council of Catholic Confederates and Viscount Clare (d. 1690) raised Clare's Dragoons of the Irish Brigade in France. Charles O'Brien, sixth Viscount Clare (1699-1771) became a Marshall of France.
William Smith O'Brien (1803-1864), though a landlord became a Young Irelander.
In the US, the brothers, Jeremiah, John and William O'Brien were naval heroes for the Americans in their war of independence.
Coat Of Arms
(O)Brien
Where the Family Lived (Blue Area)
Addresses for More Information
Ireland
Centre for Irish Genealogical and Local Studies, Carraig, Cliff Road, Windgates, Bray, Co. Wicklow, Ireland. (Sean Murphy, MA, Director)
General Register Office, 8-11 Lombard Street East, Dublin 2, Ireland.
Telephone (01) 671 1000
Website http://www.doh.ie/manual/chap4/gere.htm
National Archives, Bishop Street, Dublin 8, Ireland.
Telephone (01) 478 3711
National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2, Ireland.
Telephone (01) 603 0200
Website www.heanet.ie/natlib
Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, 66 Balmoral Street, Belfast BT9 6NYY, Northern Ireland
Telephone (01232) 251319.
Website http://proni.nics.gov.uk/index.htm
University College Dublin, Adult Education Office, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
Website http://www.ucd.ie/delltti
Britain
Family Records Centre, London, England.
Website http://pro.gov.uk/about/frc/default.htm
Public Records Office, Kew, Surrey, England.
Website http://www.pro.gov.uk
General Register Office for Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland.
Website http://www.open.gov.uk/index.html
National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth, Wales.
Website http://www.llgc.org.uk/index.htm
North America
Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints, Family History Information, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
Website http://lds.org/en/ 2 how do I begin/0- how do I begin.html
Family Tree Maker’s Genealogy Site
Website http://www.familytreemaker.com/index.html
The Irish Ancestral Research Association (TIARA), P.O. Box 619 Sudbury, MA 01776, USA.
Website http://tiari.ie
Irish Genealogical Society International, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA.
Website http://www.rootsweb.com irish/index.html
New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston Massachusetts, USA.
Website http://nehgs.org/main-01.htm
Australasia
Genealogical Society of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
Website http://www.alphalink.com/au/esv
National Archives of Australia, Canberra, Australia.
Website http://www.aa.gov.au/AA_WWW/AA_Home_Page.html
National Archives of New Zealand, Wellington, New Zealand
Website http://www.archives.dia.gov.nz
List of Links
Cyndi’s List of Genealogical Sites on the Internet: Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Website http://www.cyndilist.com/ireland.htm
UK and Ireland Genealogical Information Service.
Website http://www.genuki.org.uk
Copyright © 1998 by A. MacDarragh Burke, MD
All Rights Reserved.