Edward Conor Marshall O'Brien

Edward Conor Marshall O'Brien (3 November 1880 – 18 April 1952) was an intellectual, Irish aristocrat, republican, nationalist, pioneer in modern maritime theory, and owner and captain of one of the first boats to sail under the tri-colour of the Irish Free State. He was born in England. He was well educated, being able to read and write in both English and Irish. He was a grandson of the Fenian William Smith O'Brien. He was a ship builder and designer, and his notable boats include the Kelpie (used for gun running in 1914), the Saoirse (in which he circumnavigated the globe) and the A. K. Ilen (a Falkland Islands service ship, undergoing restoration).

Edward Conor Marshall O'Brien was born in Limerick on 3 November 1880. His grandfather was William O'Brien who was a member of Young Ireland. His grandfather and aunt both played roles in social reform. His aunt was Charlotte Grace O'Brien. Robert Donough, his uncle, was an architect, and his brother was Dermod O'Brien, a painter. O'Brien was educated in England in Winchester College and Oxford, and in Ireland in Trinity College. After his education he came back to Ireland and starting practicing as an architect in 1903. According to the 1911 census he lived at 58 Mount Street, south County Dublin.

O'Brien was credited with two buildings in his lifetime: the Co-operative Hall in Co. Donegal and the People's Hall in Co. Limerick. These buildings are still in use today even though they were built in 1908 and 1914. He was also known as a naval architect, having designed two ships, the Saoirse and the llen. He would later captain both of these ships and show great success as a captain.

O'Brien's boat Saoirse was reputedly the first small boat (42-foot, 13 metres long) to sail around the world, a journey that he documented in his book Across Three Oceans. O’Briens voyage began and ended at the Port of Foynes, County Limerick, Ireland, where he lived.

Saoirse, under O'Brien's command and with three crew, was the first yacht to circumnavigate the world by way of the three great capes: Cape Horn, Cape of Good Hope and Cape Leeuwin; and was the first boat flying the Irish tri-colour to enter many of the world's ports and harbours. He ran down his easting in the Roaring Forties and Furious Fifties between the years 1923 to 1925. Up until O'Brien's circumnavigation this route was the preserve of square-rigged grain ships taking part in the grain race from Australia to England via Cape Horn (also known as the clipper route).

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