Background
Bermingham was the son of Francis Bermingham, 14th Baron Athenry, by his marriage to Lady Mary Nugent.
Bermingham was the son of Francis Bermingham, 14th Baron Athenry, by his marriage to Lady Mary Nugent.
He was also the last man to be summoned to parliament as Baron Athenry. On 23 April 1759 Lord Athenry was created Earl of Louth in the Peerage of Ireland, a title previously held by John de Bermingham, 1st Earl of Louth, a cousin of his remote ancestor Rickard de Bermingham. He died in 1799 and is buried in the Dominican Friary at Athenry, founded by his ancestor in 1241.
His property was divided between his three female heirs and their families.
He left no surviving male issue, so his earldom became extinct. The barony became dormant and among those who unsuccessfully claimed it after him was the family of John Birmingham.
He was elected to the Irish House of Commons as Member of Parliament for Galway County, sitting between 1745 and 1750, when on 4 March 1750 he succeeded his father as Baron Athenry and became a member of the Irish House of Lords. He was invested as a member of the Privy Council of Ireland, but was ejected from it by Lord Townshend.