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Irish Family Name

O'Brien

Ó Briain — “descendant of Brian, from Brian Bóruma, High King of Ireland”
“Lámh láidir an uachtar” · The strong hand uppermost
House colours from the family arms — this name has no clan tartan tradition
Irish formÓ Briain
Historic titleKing of Thomond; Baron Inchiquin
HeartlandThomond — Co. Clare & north Munster
RegionMunster

Descendants of Brian Bóruma, the High King killed at Clontarf in 1014. As Kings and later Earls of Thomond the O'Briens ruled Clare and north Munster, and the chiefly line survives as the Barons Inchiquin.

Ancestral seats

  • Bunratty Castle, Co. Clare
  • Dromoland Castle, Co. Clare
  • Leamaneh Castle, Co. Clare

Where to walk in their footsteps

Access, opening hours and admission change. We confirm every site before it goes into an itinerary.

Bunratty Castle & Folk Park, Co. Clare

Restored 15th-century O'Brien tower house with medieval furnishings and a 26-acre folk park.

Béal Ború, Killaloe, Co. Clare

Brian Boru's ringfort above Lough Derg; free OPW national monument with open access.

Also recorded as

BrienBryanO'BryanBrian

Travelling to O'Brien country

Cashel Travel has arranged clan gatherings and heritage tours across Scotland and Ireland since the 1990s, including full gatherings for Clan Gordon, Hay, Keith, Lindsay, Hunter, Dunbar, Graham, Sutherland and MacLaren. We research the family history, build the itinerary around it, and arrange access to places that are not normally open to the public.

Plan a heritage tour