His mother was Eleanor/Ellen Plunkett, daughter of Matthew, 7th Lord Louth, and he was a member of the Irish Cotter family, which had Norse-Gaelic origins.
He was a key figure in the 1713 Dublin election riot.
He was born 4 August 1689 and was executed in Cork City on 7 May 1720.
His death was seen by many, especially within the Catholic population of Ireland, as a form of political assassination.