William O'Brien
O'Brien disagreed with the establishment of a southern Irish Free State under the Treaty, still believing that Partition of Ireland was too high a price to pay for partial independence. He wrote in 1923, "It is now obvious enough that, had the Irish Council Bill been allowed to pass in 1907, the Partition of Ireland would never have been heard of." Retiring from political life, he contented himself with writing and declined Éamon de Valera's offer to stand for Fianna Fáil in the 1927 general election. He died suddenly on 25 February 1928 while on a visit to London with his wife at the age of 75. His remains rest in Mallow, and one of the principal streets in the town bears his name to this day. His head-bust overlooks the town Council's Chamber Room and one of his finest portraits hangs in University College Cork.
John O'Brien (marine artist)
O'Brien is believed to have been born at sea as his Irish family emigrated from County Cork. He emerged as a self-taught artist in Halifax, Nova Scotia in the 1850s. O'Brien excelled at ship portraits and dramatic storm scenes. His career flourished as Nova Scotia's shipping industry grew and among his many notable paintings include a portrait of the famous clipper Stag and dramatic storm portraits of the warship HMS "Galatea. O'Brien studied with English landscape artist John W. Carmichael from 1857 to 1858. At the height of his career in 1859, he suffered a partial loss of vision. His career suffered in the 1870s, when he produced very few works, but revived in the 1880s.