To a certain degree Richard lived in the shade of his eldest brother, James, who would become Duke, General, and Lord Lieutenant.
Richard and Frances had two sons: —and three daughters: He and his family lived in Kilcash Castle at the foot of Slievenamon.
In March 1642, Kilcash, together with Lord Muskerry, Theobald Purcell, Maurice Roche, 8th Viscount Fermoy, Ikerrin, and Dunboyne unsuccessfully besieged St Leger in Cork.
On the morning of 4 June 1643, Kilcash scouted the location of a detachment of Inchiquin's troops under Charles Vavasour at Cloughleagh Castle.
When in October 1645 Giovanni Battista Rinuccini, the papal nuncio, landed at Kenmare on Ireland's west coast,[19] and then made his way from there to Kilkenny, the Confederate capital, the Confederate Supreme Council sent Kilcash with two troops of horse to escort the nuncio through the most dangerous parts of his itinerary in southern Munster, where war raged between the Munster Army and Inchiquin, who was at that time allied with the parliament.
Kilcash's protection came a bit late as he met Rinuccini at Drumsicane Castle after the nuncio had already passed much of the dangerous stretch of his route.
[23] When his side lost to Cromwell's army, Kilcash went into exile in France where he lived, often in poverty, until the Restoration of Charles II who returned his estates to him.