{{Short description|British Army general (1928–2019)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}} {{Infobox military person |honorific_prefix = [[Major general (United Kingdom)|Major-General]] |name= David O'Morchoe |honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CB|CBE}} |image= |image_size= |alt= |caption= |nickname= |birth_date= {{birth date|1928|05|11|df=yes}} |birth_place= [[Dublin]], Ireland |death_date= {{death date and age|2019|11|22|1928|05|11|df=yes}} |death_place= [[Gorey]], Ireland |burial_place= |allegiance= United Kingdom |branch= [[British Army]] |service_years= 1946–1979 |rank= [[Major-general (United Kingdom)|Major-General]] |service_number= |unit= |commands= [[Royal Army of Oman]]<br/>3rd Battalion, [[Royal Irish Rangers]]<br/>1st Battalion, [[Royal Irish Fusiliers]] |battles= [[Mau Mau Uprising]]<br/>[[United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus]] |awards= [[Companion of the Order of the Bath]]<br/>[[Commander of the Order of the British Empire]]<br/>[[Order of Saint Lazarus (statuted 1910)|Knight of the Order of Saint Lazarus]] |relations= |other_work= }} [[Major-general (United Kingdom)|Major-General]] '''David Nial Creagh, The O'Morchoe''', {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|CB|CBE}} (17 May 1928 &ndash; 22 November 2019), also known as '''David O'Morchoe''', was a [[British Army]] officer. The O'Morchoe was a President of the [[Royal British Legion]] branch in the Republic of Ireland,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://republic-of-ireland.britishlegion.org.uk/index.cfm?asset_id=1373|title=Royal British Legion Republic of Ireland|access-date=9 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110304152011/http://republic-of-ireland.britishlegion.org.uk/index.cfm?asset_id=1373|archive-date=4 March 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> and also President of the [[Leinster Regiment]] historical association<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.leinster-regiment-association.org.uk/admin/news.htm |title=Leinster Regiment Association |access-date=27 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100128060154/http://www.leinster-regiment-association.org.uk/admin/news.htm |archive-date=28 January 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/on-tour-with-the-royal-british-legion-as-they-bus-to-see-the-queen-1.1844007|title=On tour with the Royal British Legion as they bus to see the queen|first=Anne Marie|last=Hourihane|newspaper=The Irish Times}}</ref> and President of the Tipperary Remembrance Trust.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://rememberthem.ie/members/ |title=Remember them |access-date=30 December 2015 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304234437/http://rememberthem.ie/members/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> He was the hereditary Chief and Prince of the Ó Murchadha (Murphy/Morrow) Sept, a cadet line of the ancient Irish dynasty the [[Uí Cheinnselaig]], who were [[Kings of Leinster]].

==Early life== David Nial Creagh O'Morchoe was the son of Nial Creagh O'Morchoe (d. 1970), an [[Indian Army]] officer who had succeeded his brother Arthur (a [[County Wexford]] farmer, formerly of the [[Colonial Service]]) as The O'Morchoe.

==Military career== O'Morchoe joined the [[British Army]] in 1946 and was commissioned from [[Royal Military Academy Sandhurst]] as an officer in [[Royal Irish Fusiliers]]. He was appointed a [[Companion of the Order of the Bath]] in the [[1979 Birthday Honours]], and retired with the rank of [[Major-general (United Kingdom)|major general]] later the same year.

==Ó Murchadha clan chief and later life== [[File:Murphy (Ó Murchadh).png|thumb|right|Ó Murchadh.]] O'Morchoe was a prominent figure, who represented [[The Royal British Legion]] at the Irish National Day of Commemoration ceremonies held annually in the Royal Hospital in Kilmainham to honour Irish men and women who died in past wars or in service with the United Nations. From 6 to 11 June 2007, The O'Morchoe represented the Association during the commemoration ceremonies in [[Belgium]].

O'Morchoe was appointed a [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] in the Diplomatic Service and Overseas List of the [[2007 New Year Honours]] "for services to British ex-servicemen and women in Ireland". In September 2010, he was invested [[Order of Saint Lazarus (statuted 1910)|Knight of the Order of Saint Lazarus]]. In September 2014 he was suspended from his position in the Royal British Legion.<ref>{{cite news|title=President of Royal British Legion in Republic suspended|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/president-of-royal-british-legion-in-republic-suspended-1.1940517|newspaper=The Irish Times|accessdate=3 October 2016}}</ref>

==Personal life== O'Morchoe married Margaret Brewitt, of Cork; they had three children: Dermot (the tanist); Kevin; and Maureen.

==Death== O'Morchoe died at his home in Gorey on 22 November 2019, at the age of 91. A reception service was held in Kiltennel parish church on 24 November, followed by a funeral in Christ Church, Gorey on the following day.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sadness at death of David O'Morchoe in Gorey|url=https://wexfordtoday.com/2019/11/22/sadness-at-death-of-david-omorchoe-in-gorey/|website=Wexford Today|accessdate=25 November 2019}}</ref>

==See also== * [[Gaelic nobility of Ireland]] * [[Chief of the Name]]

==References== {{Reflist}} * [[Walter Curley|Curley, Walter J.P.]], ''Vanishing Kingdoms: The Irish Chiefs and their Families''. Dublin: Lilliput Press. 2004. * [[Peter Berresford Ellis|Ellis, Peter Berresford]], ''Erin's Blood Royal: The Gaelic Noble Dynasties of Ireland''. Palgrave. Revised edition, 2002.

==External links== * [http://excoboard.com/International_Association_Of_Amateur_Heralds/98803/1388740 International Association of Amateur Heralds website]{{Dead link|date=September 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }} * [https://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,5023-2523179,00.html 2007 New Years Honours List]{{dead link|date=January 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} * [https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/30_12_06_hons_dip.pdf BBC coverage of CBE award] * Tipperary Remembrance Trust [https://web.archive.org/web/20160110032729/http://rememberthem.ie/ Home - Tipperary Remembrance Trust] {{Laigin}} {{Royal Irish Regiment}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Omorchoe, David}} [[Category:1928 births]] [[Category:2019 deaths]] [[Category:20th-century British Army personnel]] [[Category:Military personnel from Dublin (city)]] [[Category:20th-century Irish people]] [[Category:21st-century Irish people]] [[Category:Irish chiefs of the name]] [[Category:Companions of the Order of the Bath]] [[Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire]] [[Category:Royal Irish Fusiliers officers]] [[Category:Royal Irish Rangers officers]] [[Category:British Army major generals]] [[Category:People educated at St Columba's College, Dublin]] [[Category:Recipients of the Order of Saint Lazarus (statuted 1910)]] [[Category:British military personnel of the Mau Mau rebellion]]