William Smith O’Brien, MP (1803–64), from Dromoland in County Clare, was a politically active protestant nationalist. He was educated at Cambridge University and Lincoln’s Inn (London). He was conscious of the historical prominence of his O’Brien ancestors and was enthusiastic about the nationalist ideology of the Young Irelanders. Following his involvement in the 1848 rebellion in Ireland, he was convicted of treason and transported to Tasmania (Van Diemen’s Land). He was later released and returned to Europe. Following a public campaign, he received a full pardon in 1856 and was permitted to return to Ireland.

Among his many interests was an enduring enthusiasm for the Irish language. The collection of Irish manuscripts that he bequeathed to the Academy Library is evidence of that interest. At least fourteen of the manuscripts include material in his own hand. Others were items that he commissioned from other scribes. Many had been penned in the early 1840s or late 1850s and were thus virtually new when given to the Academy library. Scribes in County Clare are well represented in the collection. At least one of the manuscripts had been deposited by William S. O’Brien during his lifetime rather than as part of his bequest.

Each of these manuscripts is described in the printed Catalogue of Irish manuscripts in the Royal Irish Academy (Dublin, 1926–1970). Since they are not indexed under W.S. O’Brien’s name in that catalogue, a summary list is provided below.

That so many of the manuscripts in this personal collection were recently made is a reminder of the lack of availability of printed books in Irish in O’Brien’s lifetime. A reader of Irish in the mid-nineteenth century who wished to own copies of specific Irish texts in poetry or prose, or even an Irish grammar, often had to copy them for themselves or commission a scribe to make a copy.

William S. O’Brien also bequeathed a collection of printed books to the Academy Library. The collection shows his particular interest in Gaelic literature and includes relevant books published in Scotland as well as James Hardiman’s Irish minstrelsy (London, 1831), George Sigerson’s Poets and poetry of Munster, published by John O’Daly (Dublin, 1860) and John O’Mahony’s translation of Geoffrey Keating’s History of Ireland (New York, 1857). A list of the books bequeathed by William S. O’Brien was printed in the Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy as an appendix to the Report to the Council, 16 March 1866.

Many of the political pamphlets in English that William Smith O’Brien had written during the years when he was politically active can be found in a separate collection among the pamphlets in the Academy Library donated by Mary Haliday, widow of Charles Haliday, in 1867.

A collection of William Smith O’Brien’s unpublished political and literary correspondence is held by the National Library of Ireland, while other related manuscripts are preserved in other Irish archives.

William Smith O’Brien was remembered as one of the leaders of the 1848 Young Ireland rebellion. His statue (1870), by Thomas Farrell, now stands in Dublin’s O’Connell Street at the intersection with Abbey Street.

List of Irish manuscripts

RIA MS 23 D 18 (Cat. No. 507), Ossianic verse, penned by Séamus Ua Caoindealbháin in 1815–1820. With bookplate of Edward William O’Brien, and notes in the hand of William Smith O’Brien.

RIA MS 23 D 34 (Cat. No. 514), miscellany of prose and verse, penned by Tadhg Ó Conaill, 1809.

RIA MS 23 D 40 (Cat. No. 519), verse miscellany penned by Dómhnal Mac Cormaic in 1796.

RIA MS 23 D 41 (Cat. No. 916), Irish grammar penned by James Quinlivan, undated.

RIA MS 23 H 12 (Cat. No. 705), prose tales, penned by Brian O’Looney (Ennistymon, Co. Clare), 1859–1860.

RIA MS 23 H 13 (Cat. No. 706), miscellany of prose and verse, penned by Brian O’Looney (Ennistymon, Co. Clare), 1858.

RIA MS 23 Q 20 (Cat. No. 701), Foras feasa ar Éirinn, genealogies, verse and tales, penned by Séamus Ó Caoindhealbháin (James Quinlivan), Ráthchathaill, 1813. Bound in calf skin. This manuscript belonged to Lord Courtenay and was deposited in RIA by W.S. O’Brien in January 1846.

RIA MS 24 A 10 (Cat. No. 310), prose tales penned by Séamus Ó Caoindealbháin in 1817–1818. Acquired by William Smith O’Brien from Daniel Sheahan in 1856.

RIA MS 24 A 12 (Cat. No. 311), heroic tales and poems, penned by Séamus Ó Caoindealbháin, 1819.

RIA MS 24 A 18 (Cat. No.  662), Trompa na bhFlaithios, penned by Séamus Ó Caoindealbháin, 1822–1823. Includes two religious engravings. Bound in leather, gilt-tooled, gilt-lettered. Purchased by W.S. O’Brien in 1847 from Daniel Sheahan.

RIA MS 24 A 19 (Cat. No. 312), miscellany of poetry and tales, parts i and iii are in the hand of William Smith O’Brien; part ii was penned by Patraig Ua Cúibinn.

RIA MS 24 A 20 (Cat. No. 928), miscellany of poetry and prose, penned by Seaghan Ua Brenáin, 1804–7, presented by Rev. B. O’Connor, Milltown, Co. Kerry, to W.S. O’Brien in 1857.

RIA MS 24 A 24 (Cat. No. 1014), poetry copied in 1859 by W.S. O’Brien from a manuscript at Dromoland written by Connor Ryan of Sixmilebridge, Co. Clare.

RIA MS 24 A 5 (Cat. No. 972), miscellany of prose and verse in two distinct sections the first penned in 1820–1821 by Mary Ryan (Maire, Inghean Riain) and the later part by Seamus Ó Caoluidhe. The first 80 pages comprise a rare example of the work of a female scribe in early nineteenth-century Ireland, and include transcripts of Párliament na mBan, Óide Chlainne Lir and a version of Acallam na Senórach.

RIA MS 24 A 8 (Cat. No. 1200), catalogue of William Smith O’Brien manuscripts, drawn up by himself, bound in with older texts.

RIA MS 24 B 10 (Cat. No. 321), miscellany of prose and verse penned by Brian O’Looney (1860)

RIA MS 24 B 11 (Cat. No. 381), poetry by four Clare poets (Andrew McCurtin, Hugh McCurtin, Michael Comyn, John Huanin), with biographical sketches of the poets, penned by Brian O’Looney.

RIA MS 24 B 12 (Cat. No. 382), miscellany penned by Patrick Foley Fitzgibbon, Co. Clare, in 1859.

RIA MS 24 B 13 (Cat. No. 322), miscellany of prose and verse penned by Brian O’Looney and W.S. O’Brien.

RIA MS 24 B 14 (Cat. No. 656), prose tales penned by Pádruig Ó Guibúinn, with contents list by W.S. O’Brien.

RIA MS 24 B 21 (Cat. No. 383), version of Foras feasa ar Éirinn, and related items, penned by James Quinlivan (Séamus Ua Caoindealbháin), Cork, 1842.

RIA MS 24 B 22 (Cat. No. 238), prose tales, penned by Tomás Ruiséal, c. 1772.  Includes fragment of Pairlement Chloinne Tomáis, a variant similar to that in British Library Egerton 149. This miscellany formed at one time part of a larger manuscript, now bound as four separate items (RIA MS 24 B 22 – 24 B 25).

RIA MS 24 B 23 (Cat. No. 239), prose tales, penned by Tomás Ruiséal, c. 1772.

RIA MS 24 B 24 (Cat. No. 241), prose tales, scribe not named but probably Tomás Ruiséal.

RIA MS 24 B 25 (Cat. No. 240), prose tales, penned by Tomás Ruiséal, c. 1772. Includes a list of former owners or borrowers of the book.

RIA MS 24 B 31 (Cat. No. 384), devotional texts, mostly translated from English and penned by James Quinlivan, of Co. Limerick, 1822-4.

RIA MS 24 B 5 (Cat. No. 314), Irish poetry in the hand of W.S. O’Brien, part 2 copied from a collection by S.H. O’Grady.

RIA MS 24 B 6 (Cat. No. 313), Irish poetry in the hand of W.S. O’Brien, 1860.

RIA MS 24 B 7 (Cat. No. 325), Irish poetry in the hand of W.S. O’Brien.

RIA MS 24 B 8 (Cat. No. 315), Irish poetry in the hand of W.S. O’Brien.

RIA MS 24 B 9 (Cat. No. 380), miscellany of verse and prose penned by Pádraig Foley Fitzgibbon, and Brian O’Looney, Co. Clare. Includes some English translations.

RIA MS 24 C 1 (Cat. No. 293), Geoffrey Keating’s Eochairsgíath an Aifrinn and Trí biorghaoithe an bháis, and Irish translation of Jocelin’s Life of St Patrick.

RIA MS 24 C 10 (Cat. No. 929), devotional prose penned by James Quinlivan, Co. Limerick, 1831–1833.

RIA MS 24 C 19 (Cat. No. 324), miscellany of Irish poetry.

RIA MS 24 C 20 (Cat. No. 326), miscellany, mainly poetry, penned by Brian Ó Luana of Monreel, Ennistymon, with additions. Includes a transcript of an O’Davoren legal document of 1591 or 1604.

RIA MS 24 C 21 (Cat. No. 943), poems on the O’Briens of Thomond, penned in 1862 by W.S. O’Brien, Killiney, Co. Dublin. Contents are derived from a manuscript written by Uilliam Ruadh McCoitir (RIA MS 24 L 13).

RIA MS 24 C 22 (Cat. No. 318), Irish proverbs in the hand of W.S. O’Brien.

RIA MS 24 C 23 (Cat. No. 319), Irish poetry in the hand of W.S. O’Brien.

RIA MS 24 C 24 (Cat. No. 316), Irish poetry, including Éire árd, inis na ríogh, in the hand of W.S. O’Brien.

RIA MS 24 C 25 (Cat. No. 323), miscellany of prose and verse, copied for W.S. O’Brien by Mr O’Regan, teacher at the national school at Ardagh.

RIA MS 24 C 28 (Cat. No. 327), Irish prose and verse, penned by Pádraig Ua Guibúinn and W.S. O’Brien, 1857.

RIA MS 24 C 29 (Cat. No. 320), life of St Senan, in the hand of Brian O’Looney, 1859.

RIA MS 24 M 1 (Cat. No. 85), A transcript of Caithréim Thoirdhealbhaigh, penned by Peattair Ó Longáin, in 1844 for William Smith O’Brien (his bookplate is pasted into the manuscript).

Further Reading

Catalogue of Irish manuscripts in the Royal Irish Academy (Dublin, 1926-1970).

‘Catalogue of printed books bequeathed to the Royal Irish Academy by the late William Smith O’Brien, Esq. [Appendix to Report of the Council (1866)]’, Proceedings RIA 19 (1864-1866), pp. 386-388.

Revolutionary imperialist: William Smith O’Brien, 1803-1864 by Richard P. Davis (1998).

‘O’Brien, William Smith’ by Richard P. Davis in Dictionary of Irish Biography.

Denis Gwynn, ‘William Smith O’Brien’, in Studies: an Irish Quarterly Review, XXXV (Dec., 1946), pp. 448-458.

William Smith O’Brien and the Young Ireland rebellion of 1848 by Robert Sloan (Dublin, 2000).