Français : fr:Charles O'Brien de Thomond, maréchal de France

Français : Écartelé: aux 1 et 4, de gueules, à trois léopards partis d'or et d'argent, l'un sur l'autre (O'Bryen) ; au 2, d'argent, à trois piles de gueules, dirigées vers la pointe; au 3, d'or, à un phéon d'azur. English: Arms of O'Brien: Quarterly of 4: 1&4: Gules, three lions passant guardant in pale per pale or and argent (O'Brien); 2nd: Argent, three piles conjoined in point gules; 3rd: Or, a pheon azure (Sydney?)

Following information on O'Brien arms from: "O'Brien Clan heraldry & some recent changes, by Garry Bryant/Garaidh Ó Briain (Irish armiger, 1992), 6/1/2015[1]

O’Brien arms were changed [(from the ancient Gaelic arms: dexter forearm grasping a sword in pale proper)] in June/July 1543, when Murrough “The Tanist” Ua Briain, 57th King of Thomond, surrendered his kingdom to King Henry VIII of England, which kingdom was re-granted to him with the English title of 1st Earl of Thomond (for life) and Baron Inchiquin (heirs male), holding all in fee simple...This resignation of Thomond to King Henry VIII took place at Greenwich by the Thames River, in England, with Murrough’s nephew, Donough Ua Briain, in tow being a minor. Donough later became 2nd Earl of Thomond and created Baron Ibrackan (his line ended d.s.p. in 1774, with the Viscounts of Clare). To show this resignation of the Gaelic Order and showing loyalty to the new king and government, the old heraldic arms were discarded and King Henry VIII granted to Murrough his own personal arms, “Gules three lions passant guardant in pale Or armed and langued Azure,” (See ill. 8) [Arms of Plantagenet] but with a difference. The lions would be split into the heraldic metals of gold and silver for differencing and the lions would not be armed or langued a different color, but or/argent. These new arms would read as, “Gules three lions passant guardant in pale per pale Or and Argent.” [Donough O’Brien, History of the O’Briens: From Brian Boroimhe, ad., 1000 to ad. 1945. (London: B.T. Batsford, Ltd., 1947) Pp. 50-54 & 198.] From an English point of view this was a great honor, but to the Ó Briain Clan, the Irish, and the Gaelic Order, it was surrender and defeat. [Ó Comain, p. 32.] One needs to remember that these granted arms origin was England, not Ireland.

In the second and third quarters of the quartered O'Brien arms are two other symbols. Author O’Brien believes that this may be an earlier symbol (it first appears in 1543 as the 2nd and 3rd quarters with the lions to Murrough O’Brien, Baron Inchiquin), [Ivar O’Brien, “The O’Brien Arms a speculation of their origin,” The Royal O’Briens: A Tribute. 1992. P. 61]. possibly belonging to the O’Briens of Arra in northwest County Tipparary (a branch of the O’Brien Clan who are described as being a law unto themselves) and is "Argent three piles meeting in base gules." However there are strong circumstantial evidence that this was adopted with a difference from the Anglo-Norman family of Devonshire and Pembrokeshire, Wales. This family’s surname is de Bryan, founded by a knight named Guy de Bryan. The de Bryan’s had a branch of the family stationed in Ireland and in time they became the Marshal of Ireland...Again only speculation to the arrow head’s meaning and author O’Brien suggests that this is to show loyalty to Sir Henry Sidney, the Lord Deputy of Ireland at this time, whose personal arms used the pheon.

Français : Johannes Baptist Rietstap, Armorial général : contenant la description des armoiries des familles nobles et patriciennes de l'Europe : précédé d'un dictionnaire des termes du blason [archive], G.B. van Goor, 1861, 1171 p. , et ses Compléments sur www.euraldic.com