Phaedrig O'Brien, 17th Baron Inchiquin

Phaedrig Lucius Ambrose O'Brien, 17th Baron Inchiquin (4 April 1900 – 20 May 1982) was a geologist. Additionally, he was the holder of a hereditary peerage in the Peerage of Ireland, as well as Chief of the Name of O'Brien and Prince of Thomond in the Gaelic Irish nobility.

Early life Inchiquin was the third of five children born to Lucius O'Brien, 15th Baron Inchiquin and Ethel Jane O'Brien née Foster, daughter of Johnston Jonas Foster JP of Cliffe Hill, Lightcliffe, and of Moor Park near Ludlow, Shropshire. He was born at Moor Park, where his parents resided, on 4 April 1900, a mere days before his father inherited the barony, and educated at Eton College.

Career Inchiquin came of military age in 1918, and as such briefly served in Britain in World War I as a Gunner in the Royal Field Artillery, however, the conflict ended before he had served on active service or had been promoted.

Inchiquin then went on to study at Magdalen College, Oxford where he graduated with an MA, and undertook further studies at the Imperial College London's Royal School of Mines, Inchiquin then went on to work in Kenya as a farmer and coffee planter from 1922 until 1936 when he was professionally engaged as a geologist in the mining industry by the Anglo-American Corporation of South Africa.

Inchiquin left Africa in 1939 into the Rifle Brigade. Inchiquin was subsequently attached to the East African Intelligence Corps (now Zambia), as senior geologist, becoming assistant director in 1957. He retired from the Colonial Service in 1959, but continued to work as a consultant geologist until 1967, and succeeded to the Baron Inchiquin peerage in 1968.

Inchiquin died on 20 May 1982, in Richards Castle and was succeeded by his nephew Conor as the 18th Baron Inchiquin.