[1] He was the second son of Henry Prittie, 1st Baron Dunalley, an Irish peer and MP in the Parliament of Ireland.
His elder brother was Henry Prittie, 2nd Baron Dunalley.
After serving for Doneraile in the Parliament of Ireland in 1800, he was elected MP in the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Carlow shortly after the Act of Union, but resigned after three months to take the Escheator of Munster.
He was appointed Custos Rotulorum of Tipperary in 1807, a sinecure normally held for life.
His eldest son, Henry, inherited the family barony to become the 3rd Baron Dunalley.