He was a young man when he conceived of publishing a record of the service of every living Royal Navy officer of the executive branch.
Sir Francis Thornhill Baring appointed him librarian at the Admiralty; but his successor, Algernon Percy, 4th Duke of Northumberland, did not confirm the position.
[1] Recognition for O'Byrne's work came from the Royal United Service Institution, and in 1857 he was specially elected a member of the Athenæum Club.
[1] He did not achieve much financial success from his work, though the Royal United Service Institute rewarded him with a piece of plate and a gift of £400.
While he aimed for meticulous accuracy, the biographical entries were often not particularly objectively written, as he invited serving officers to submit their own autobiographical conclusions.