Henry Boyle, 1st Earl of Shannon

Who was Henry Boyle, 1st Earl of Shannon?

Henry Boyle, 1st Earl of Shannon, PC was a prominent Irish politician.

Boyle was the second son of Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Boyle, second son of Roger Boyle, 1st Earl of Orrery. His mother was Lady Mary O'Brien, daughter of Murrough O'Brien, 1st Earl of Inchiquin. In, 1707, he was elected to the Irish House of Commons for Midleton, a seat he held until 1713, and then sat for Kilmallock from 1713 to 1715. Between 1715 and 1756 he represented County Cork. He quickly gained a prominent role in Parliament and Sir Robert Walpole is said to have styled him "the King of the Irish House of Commons". In 1733 Boyle was admitted to the Irish House of Commons and appointed Chancellor of the Irish Exchequer. Later that year he was also made Speaker of the Irish House of Commons. His career was marked by a long struggle for power with George Stone, Archbishop of Armagh, which only ended with their death in the same week. He deserves some credit for helping to organise measures to alleviate the terrible Irish Famine which became known as "the year of slaughter".