What the O’Brien coat of arms shows, what “Lámh Láidir” means, why Brian Boru never had a coat of arms, and whether you can use the O’Brien crest yourself.

The O’Brien coat of arms is a red shield with three lions walking one above the other, each lion split down the middle in gold and silver. The crest above it is an arm brandishing a sword, rising out of clouds, and the motto is Lámh láidir in uachtar, “the strong hand uppermost”. Despite what many gift shops claim, these were not Brian Boru’s arms. They were granted in 1543, more than 500 years after his death.

Did Brian Boru have a coat of arms?

No. Heraldry, the system of hereditary shields and crests, developed in western Europe in the 12th century, and it reached Ireland with the Anglo-Normans after 1169. Brian died in 1014. Irish kings of his time carried banners with colours and symbols, but these were not hereditary coats of arms. Some older reference books, including Burke’s, attribute the lion arms to Brian, and that error is still copied widely online.

Where the O’Brien arms came from

For most of the Middle Ages the O’Brien Kings of Thomond used a Gaelic emblem: an arm brandishing a sword. That changed in 1543. Murrough O’Brien, the last King of Thomond, surrendered his kingdom to Henry VIII and was created 1st Earl of Thomond. As part of that deal he received English-style arms: the three lions passant guardant, split in gold and silver.

The design was a pointed choice. Three gold lions on red is the royal coat of arms of England. Giving the O’Briens a version of it, “differenced” by splitting the lions into gold and silver, marked them as loyal nobles of the English Crown. To many Gaelic Irish at the time, it looked like surrender.

The old sword arm was not lost. It moved to the crest above the shield, with clouds added around it. The clouds are a visual pun on the motto: the strong hand reaching out from above.

What the symbols mean

• Red (gules): in heraldry, often read as military strength and a readiness to fight.
• The lions: royalty and courage. Lions passant guardant (walking, head turned to face you) are the same pose as the English royal lions, which is the point.
• Gold and silver halves: the “difference” that separates the O’Brien arms from the royal arms of England.
• The sword arm: the older Gaelic emblem of the O’Brien kings, kept as the crest.

The O’Brien motto: Lámh Láidir

Two versions of the motto are in use. Lámh láidir in uachtar (“the strong hand uppermost”) is the heraldic motto that goes with the arms. Lámh Láidir Abú (“the strong hand to victory”) is the older battle cry, and it is the version most O’Brien families use today on clan merchandise and at gatherings. Abú was the standard ending of Gaelic war cries, roughly “forever” or “to victory”.

Is there an O’Brien “family” coat of arms?

Strictly, no. A coat of arms belongs to one person at a time and passes to their heir. The O’Brien arms belong to the head of the family, the Baron Inchiquin, recognised as Chief of the Name. There’s no such thing as a coat of arms for everyone with a surname.

In practice, displaying the O’Brien arms as a symbol of family heritage, on a print or a plaque, is a long-standing tradition and nobody will object. What you can’t do is claim them as your personal arms. If you want arms of your own, you can apply to the Office of the Chief Herald of Ireland, which is part of the National Library of Ireland and grants new arms to people of Irish descent.

Other Dál gCais families with lions

Lions, usually in the same passant guardant pose, turn up again and again in the arms of families from Brian Boru’s kindred, a sign of their link to the O’Briens as they took on English-style heraldry. See our guide to Brian Boru’s kindred surnames for the family histories.

O’Brien coat of arms gifts

If you want the arms on your wall or your hand, look for sellers who show the correct blazon: red shield, three lions each split gold and silver, sword-arm crest. Many cheap versions get the colours wrong or show all-gold lions, which is the English royal coat of arms, not O’Brien.

Proving you’re an O’Brien of Thomond

The surname is a clue, the arms are a symbol, and DNA is the evidence. A man of the Dalcassian O’Brien line should test positive for the Y-DNA marker R-L226. Start with a Y-37 test, and build your tree with an autosomal test. Our Brian Boru descendants and DNA guide explains what each result means.

Where to see the O’Brien legacy

• Dromoland Castle, Newmarket-on-Fergus: the O’Brien family seat, rebuilt in its present form in 1835 and now a five-star hotel.
• Bunratty Castle: built by the MacNamaras and later a seat of the O’Brien Earls of Thomond.
• O’Brien’s Tower, Cliffs of Moher: built in 1835 by Cornelius O’Brien. Cliffs of Moher tours.
• Killaloe: where the dynasty began with Brian Boru. See the Brian Boru trail.

Frequently asked questions

What does the O’Brien coat of arms look like?

A red shield with three lions walking and facing the viewer, stacked vertically, each lion half gold and half silver. The crest is an arm holding a sword, rising from clouds.

What is the O’Brien motto?

Lámh láidir in uachtar, “the strong hand uppermost”. The related battle cry Lámh Láidir Abú, “the strong hand to victory”, is also widely used.

Was the O’Brien coat of arms Brian Boru’s?

No. Heraldry didn’t exist in Ireland in Brian’s time. The lion arms were granted in 1543.

Can I use the O’Brien coat of arms?

You can display it as a symbol of family heritage. Strictly, the arms belong to the Chief of the Name, so you can’t claim them as your own personal arms.

Sources

1. Wikipedia, O’Brien dynasty, section on heraldry.
2. Edward MacLysaght, Irish Families: Their Names, Arms and Origins (Irish Academic Press, 4th edition, 1985).
3. Office of the Chief Herald of Ireland, National Library of Ireland.