Darcy, Patrick (1598–1668)

Irish lawyer and politician. An expert in constitutional matters, Darcy argued strongly for the legislative independence of the Irish parliament. As a Catholic, he was debarred from practising and from owning land during Oliver Cromwell's colonization of Ireland.

Born in Galway, the seventh son of a Roman Catholic baronet of English descent, Darcy sat for Navan, County Meath, in the Irish parliament of 1634. He rose to prominence by 1640, and following the uprising of 1641 supported his fellow Irish Catholics in the Confederation of Kilkenny. He was negotiator for the Catholic Confederates with Charles I's deputy Ormond in 1649, and was then made a commissioner of the peace throughout Ireland, an appointment that lasted until the arrival of Cromwell. Following the Cromwellian victories, Darcy left politics but continued to pursue his legal career until his death.