Donat Henchy O’Brien

Donat Henchy O'Brien

Donat Henchy O’Brien was an officer of the Royal Navy. He was the son of a Royal Navy captain who claimed descent from an ancient Irish king. O’Neill served with the Mediterranean Fleet during the Napoleonic Wars. He left the Navy in 1821 and never returned to sea again.

About Donat Henchy O’Brien in brief

Summary Donat Henchy O'BrienDonat Henchy O’Brien was an officer of the Royal Navy. He was the son of a Royal Navy captain who claimed descent from an ancient Irish king. He served as a midshipman during the French Revolutionary Wars. He commanded a troop-carrying vessel during the Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland. While returning to England in 1804, the ship was wrecked on the Île de Sein and O’Brien and other crew were captured by the French. He escaped in 1808 and reached a British vessel at Trieste. He later wrote a book about his experiences. In 1821 he returned to England and never served at sea again but was promoted to rear-admiral in the reserve in 1852. He died at the age of 75 in London in 1881.

He is buried at St Pancras Cathedral, London, on the banks of the River Seine, where he was born in 1785 in County Clare, Ireland. He had a son, Michael, and a daughter, Hannah Henchy, who both served in the Navy and later became a judge advocate. He also had a step-son, John, who became a barrister and later a judge-general. He never married and died in 1883 in London, aged 80. He left the Navy in 1821 and never returned to sea again and died at age 80 in 1884 in London. His son Michael died in the Battle of Lissa, Italy, in 1811, aged 83. O’Neill served with the Mediterranean Fleet during the Napoleonic Wars.