Henry Boyle, 1st Earl of Shannon, PC (Ire) (1682 – 28 December 1764), was an Anglo-Irish politician and peer who served as the speaker of the Irish House of Commons from 1733 to 1756.

A prominent parliamentarian who sat for almost fifty years in the Parliament of Ireland, Boyle frequently defended Irish interests against British Crown officials, eventually leading to a legal crisis which saw him step down as speaker in return for a peerage.

Two years later in 1707, Boyle entered the Irish political scene, being elected to the Parliament of Ireland and successively representing the constituencies of Midleton, Kilmallock and County Cork for almost five decades.

This triggered a standoff which was not resolved until the Marquess of Hartington was appointed as viceroy in 1755, who negotiated a settlement with Boyle that saw him step down as speaker in return for being raised to the peerage as the Earl of Shannon.

[2] In 1707, Boyle decided to enter into a political career, representing the parliamentary constituency of Midleton in the House of Commons of the Irish Parliament after taking his seat on 7 July.

[2] In 1729, Boyle successfully resisted an attempt by the Dublin Castle administration to pass through a bill in the Irish Parliament which stipulated that Ireland would continue to deliver supplies to the British Crown for 21 years.

Sir Robert Walpole, the incumbent Prime Minister of Great Britain, was impressed by Boyle's actions, dubbing him "the King of the Irish Commons".

[2] By this point in his career, Boyle had become leader of the "Munster squadron", a group of politicians whose main support base resided in the Irish counties of Cork and Waterford.

[2][4] During this period, Boyle began large-scale renovation efforts at his estates at Castlemartyr and repair work in the town, aimed at gradually fixing the damage caused by the Williamite War in Ireland.

[8] During his career as speaker, Boyle used his influence to pressure several viceroys into supporting the anti-Catholic Penal Laws and the use of Crown revenue to aid Ireland's economy and industries.

[11][13] Mounting concerns in British government circles of a possible conflict with France and the disruptions to Ireland's political scene caused by the ongoing crisis eventually led to the Duke being replaced as viceroy by the Marquess of Hartington in March 1755.

The terms of the settlement stipulated that Boyle was to step down from his position as speaker, in return for being raised to the peerage of Ireland as the Earl of Shannon and being granted an annual pension of 2,000 pounds for 31 years.

Anglo-Irish historian Sir John Thomas Gilbert noted in the Dictionary of National Biography that Boyle's efforts there "much enhanced their value, and [he] carried out and promoted extensive improvements".