Murrough O'Brien, 1st Earl of Inchiquin - Later Life

Later Life

Inchiquin's military career was now closed, and the presidency of Munster, which he had so much coveted, was denied to him on account of his religion, and given to the astute Broghill, now Earl of Orrery. But when the latter went to England in June 1664 he made his old rival vice-president, and they remained friends afterwards. Inchiquin seems to have lived quietly in Ireland during the greater part of his remaining years. In 1666 he was made a magistrate for Clare; but Rostellan, on Cork harbour, became the favourite residence of his family.

Henrietta Maria finally departed into France in 1665, and when she was gone he had little to draw him to London. When Orrery was impeached in 1668, the third article against him was that he had unjustly used his presidential power to secure Rostellan for Inchiquin, whose eldest son had married his daughter Margaret. As the impeachment was dropped, it is hard to say how far Orrery's defence was good. Part of it was that Fitzgerald of Cloyne, the other claimant, was a "known notorious papist, and the house a stronghold near the sea".

In the Cromwellian Act of Settlement, 12 August 1652, Inchiquin was excepted by name from pardon for life or estate. A private act was passed in September 1660 which restored him to all his honours and lands in Ireland, and this was confirmed by the Act of Settlement in 1662. An estate of about 60,000 acres (240 km2) in Clare, Limerick, Tipperary, and Cork was thus secured; £8,000 was given him out of the treasury, in consideration of his losses and sufferings. He was compensated at the rate of £10 a day for his arrears as general in Munster before 5 June 1649, and received several other more or less lucrative grants.