The Viscount Shannon | |
|---|---|
 Unfinished portrait by Sir Godfrey Kneller (circa 1710) | |
| Born | 1675 Westminster, England |
| Died | 20 December 1740 (aged 65) Ashley Park, Walton-on-Thames |
| Buried | St Mary's Parish Church, Walton-on-Thames |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of England Kingdom of Great Britain |
| Service | English Army British Army |
| Years of service | 1690–1740 |
| Rank | Field Marshal |
| Commands | Commander-in-Chief, Ireland |
| Battles / wars | Williamite War in Ireland Nine Years' War War of the Spanish Succession |
Field Marshal Richard Boyle, 2nd Viscount Shannon, PC (1675 – 20 December 1740) was a British Army officer and statesman. After serving as a junior officer at the Battle of the Boyne during the Williamite War in Ireland and at the Battle of Landen during the Nine Years' War, he commanded a brigade of grenadiers during the storming of Vigo during the War of the Spanish Succession. During this engagement the entire French fleet, under the command of the Marquis de Château-Renault, together with the Spanish galleons and transports under Manuel de Velasco, were either captured or destroyed. He also took part in a successful raid on Barcelona three years later. He went on to serve as Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Irish Army throughout the 1720s and 1730s.