William Smith O'Brien

For other people named William O'Brien, see William O'Brien (disambiguation).

The Hon. William Smith O'Brien[1][2]
Portrait by George Francis Mulvany
Born17 October 1803
Dromoland, Newmarket on Fergus, County Clare, Ireland
Died18 June 1864(1864-06-18) (aged 60)
Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales
Resting placeRathronan Cemetery, Ardagh, County Limerick, Ireland
52°30′25″N 9°04′21″W / 52.506997°N 9.072535°W / 52.506997; -9.072535
EducationTrinity College, Cambridge
Known forIrish nationalist MP, leader of the Young Ireland movement

William Smith O'Brien (Irish: Liam Mac Gabhann Ó Briain; 17 October 1803 – 18 June 1864) was an Irish nationalist Member of Parliament (MP) and a leader of the Young Ireland movement. He also encouraged the use of the Irish language. He was convicted of sedition for his part in the Young Irelander "Famine Rebellion" of 1848 but his sentence of death was commuted to deportation to Van Diemen's Land. In 1854, he was released on the condition of exile from Ireland, and he lived in Brussels for two years. In 1856 Smith O'Brien was pardoned and returned to Ireland, but he was never active again in politics.

  1. ^ "Hon. William Smith O'Brien". Ústav pro českou literaturu AV ČR & Instytut Badań Literackich PAN. nstitute of Literary Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  2. ^ "London Gazette". By Authority. 12 September 1862. p. 4458. Retrieved 19 November 2023.