Dictionary of Irish Biography

The latest edition of our newsletter, 'Life Lines' is now available. Read our new entries, our blogs on the 1926 census and how the Irish holidayed in the past, and our featured biography of Gillian Bowler. mailchi.mp/ria.ie/lifel...

#DIBLives For 4 months in 1651 Limerick was besieged by an English parliamentary force led by Henry Ireton. #OTD 1651 Aodh (Hugh) Dubh O'Neill surrendered the city: more than 5000 inhabitants and 800 garrison had died; some troops fell dead of plague as they left the city. www.dib.ie/biography/on...

#DIBLives Irish nuclear scientist, rocket engineer, pilot and physician Percy McCormack was a scholar who embodied a multidisciplinary approach to STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) research long before that term was adopted. www.dib.ie/index.php/bi...

#DIBLives 'A man innocently dabbles in words and rhymes and finds that it is his life.' An endearing companion to those he befriended, poet Patrick Kavanagh (b. #OTD 1904) resented intrusive familiarity and cultivated a gruff rudeness to ward off unwanted company. www.dib.ie/biography/ka...

#NewLives Public servant Maurice Hayes constantly recalibrated his exquisitely sensitive political and cultural sensibility to promote compromise through public awareness and modernisation, his life shaped by his deeply considered experience of decades in public life. www.dib.ie/biography/ha...

#NewLives Born into a theatrical dynasty, Mary-Rose McMaster's memoir of her father is an account of the one of last of the travelling theatre companies of the twentieth century. Playing Shakespearean characters by aged 11, she forged an independent stage career in the US. www.dib.ie/biography/mc...

#NewLives Austin Deasy, Minister for Agriculture during a turbulent period in the 1980s, frequently clashed with the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) in a series of increasingly vitriolic public exchanges. He later developed a reputation as the Dáil’s foremost maverick. www.dib.ie/biography/de...

#NewLives 'Her energy, vision and dynamism [made] Ireland a more empowering, informed and welcoming society.’ Sylvia Meehan consistently challenged discrimination and sought to ensure that women, workers and older people had a voice in the decisions affecting their lives. www.dib.ie/biography/me...

#NewLives ‘Ollam na nÉces’ (‘the scholars’ scholar’). Concise, focused and analytical, linguist and Celtic philologist Anders Ahlqvist published over 130 journal articles, papers, chapters and scholarly editions & was fluent in Finnish, French, German, Irish and Swedish. www.dib.ie/biography/ah...

#DIBLives Dublin-born singer, composer and theatre manager Michael Kelly (d. #OTD 1826) was friends with Mozart and sang at the premier of ‘The Marriage of Figaro’. In London, he was a celebrated impresario, collecting stories of theatrical intrigues and life on the stage. www.dib.ie/biography/ke...

#DIBLives 'You know what to do – go out and keep at it!' Camogie captain Kay Mills (b. #OTD 1923) was one of the greatest Gaelic players of all time. In an inter-county career spanning 20 years she won a record 15 all-Ireland senior medals, a feat still unrivalled. www.dib.ie/biography/mi...

#DIBLives #OTD 1843 Dublin Castle issued a proclamation banning the Repeal meeting called by Daniel O’Connell to take place in Clontarf the next day. Following the gathering of troops & arrival of warships, he cancelled the meeting rather than risk a bloody confrontation. www.dib.ie/biography/oc...

#NewBlog 'Tread carefully through the history of Ireland’s (alleged) witches' At the end of the month we celebrate Hallowe'en, so in honour or all things spooky let @dib.ie introduce you to some of the witches, sorcerers and changelings from our island’s history. www.dib.ie/blog/tread-c...

#DIBLives Novelist, dramatist and columnist Brian O'Nolan (b. #OTD 1911) lived a double life: civil servant by day & surrealist literary disruptor by night. As Flann O’Brien and Myles na gCopaleen, his sharp satire and bilingual wit rewrote the rules of Irish literature. www.dib.ie/biography/on...

#DIBLives Botanist, naturalist and folklorist Nathaniel Colgan (d. #OTD 1919) investigated a question that still sparks debate: what is the “true” Irish shamrock? He solicited specimens from across Ireland and the resulting monograph is still the definitive account. www.dib.ie/index.php/bi...

Stage and screen actor Richard Harris (b. #OTD 1930) could be outspoken and cantankerous, but also immensely entertaining, exuding a great sense of fun. As the ‘Bull’ McCabe, he gave a commanding performance for which he won a second Oscar nomination. www.dib.ie/biography/ha...

#DIBLives Republican activist and women’s rights advocate Kathleen Clarke (d. #OTD 1972) occupies an important place in the history of Irish republicanism, and women in public life after independence. A TD and senator, she was also the first woman Lord Mayor of Dublin. www.dib.ie/biography/cl...

Probably the first woman in the British Isles (and possibly the world) to design, build and fly a powered machine, pioneering aviator Lilian Bland (b. #OTD 1878) built 'The Mayfly', a biplane glider made from bamboo, ash and elm that flew at 30mph. www.dib.ie/biography/bl...

#DIBLives Peace campaigner Gordon Wilson (b. #OTD 1927) sought no glory for himself, wishing he could return to his earlier life as "a wee provincial draper"; but few would have disagreed with Alliance politician Seamus Close, who called him ‘a walking saint’. www.dib.ie/index.php/bi...

#DIBLives ‘If to have endeavoured to give my native country a place among the nations of the Earth was treason, then I am guilty indeed’. Forced to surrender following General Humbert's defeat at Ballinamuck, Bartholomew Teeling was hanged #OTD 1798 in Dublin. www.dib.ie/biography/te...

#DIBLives The first identified healthy carrier of typhoid in North America, and the most widely and sensationally publicised, Mary Mallon (b. #OTD 1869), known in popular culture as 'Typhoid Mary', died in Riverside Isolation Hospital after 23 years in quarantine. www.dib.ie/biography/ma...

#DIBLives Captain Charles Boycott believed Irish peasants were prone to idleness and required firm handling. Following an attempt to evict tenants #OTD 1880 he was subjected to the ostracism advocated by Parnell, and the word 'Boycott' entered the English language. www.dib.ie/biography/bo...

#NewBlog 'Pieces of a jigsaw – John Duncan Craig, race, empire and Victorian Ireland' In this month's blog, Patrick Maume explores what the writings of John Duncan Craig reveal about race and empire among nineteenth-century Irish unionists. www.dib.ie/blog/pieces-... #DIBLives

#DIBLives 'A lot of nincompoops.' Monaghan-born suffragist Mary Agnes Lee (d. #OTD 1909) helped found the South Australian Women's Suffrage League. Frustrated by the lack of progress, she kept campaigning and in 1894 South Australian women won the parliamentary vote. www.dib.ie/biography/le...

Apologies to users in the US who are currently unable to access the DIB website. This is due to an ongoing layer 7 DDoS attack, and we hope to restore access as soon as possible.

#DIBLives 'Under bare Ben Bulben's head In Drumcliff churchyard Yeats is laid... ...By his command these words are cut: Cast a cold eye On life, on death. Horseman, pass by!' #OTD 1948 W.B. Yeats' remains were returned to Ireland and buried in his beloved Sligo. www.dib.ie/biography/ye...

#DIBLives One of Ireland’s first female paediatricians, Victoria Coffey's (b. #OTD 1911) research into congenital disorders and sudden infant death helped advance the study of newborn health. She was also the first female president of the Irish Paediatric Association. www.dib.ie/biography/co...

#RevisedLives Architect, dramatist and WWI serviceman David Parkhill, aka Lewis Purcell, was co-founder of the Ulster Literary Theatre. His play, ‘The enthusiast’, was the first play in which Ulster people were realistically and sympathetically portrayed on stage. www.dib.ie/biography/pa...

#NewLives Jer O'Leary's knowledge of Irish socialist history and his commitment to social justice & unions, together with his talent for bold graphics revived the tradition of trade union banners. His portrayal of Jim Larkin became one of the defining images of his career. www.dib.ie/biography/ol...

#NewLives Art and design historian Nicola (Nikki) Gordon Bowe was a meticulous scholar who revelled in research and delighted in sharing details she unearthed. Her monograph 'The Life and Work of Harry Clarke' ensured the stained-glass artist became a household name. www.dib.ie/biography/go...

#NewLives Shaped by his working-class Dublin background, Sean Garland was a significant figure in mid-twentieth-century Irish republicanism. Regarded by his enemies as a dangerous adversary, he inspired intense loyalty among those closest to him. www.dib.ie/biography/ga...

#NewLives Alternately portrayed as a heartless criminal or as a pretty innocent duped by the manipulative James McDermott, Grace Mark's life has been adapted twice by Margaret Atwood: in a 1974 play titled 'The servant girl', and in the novel 'Alias Grace' (1996). www.dib.ie/biography/ma...

#DIBLives Overshadowed by her brother and sister, Fanny Parnell (d. #OTD 1882) is mostly remembered as the poet of the Land League. But she did more than write patriotic verse, and through her work she helped establish a political role for women in Irish-American circles. www.dib.ie/biography/pa...

#DIBLives “September has come, it is hers Whose vitality leaps in the autumn, Whose nature prefers Trees without leaves and a fire in the fireplace." (Louis MacNeice, 'Autumn Journal') Poet, critic, dramatist and broadcaster Louis MacNeice died #OTD 1963. www.dib.ie/biography/ma...

#DIBLives "Let every one of the Gaels who is in the Foreigner's province come forth to his own country." After victory in the Battle of Tara, high-king of Ireland Máel-Sechnaill (d. #OTD 1022) successfully sieged Dublin, freeing Irish captives and slaves. www.dib.ie/biography/ma...

#DIBLives A humanitarian who fought with bravery and determination against the enslavement of indigenous peoples in the Congo and Amazonia, Roger Casement (b. #OTD 1864) was also the last victim of the executions that followed the 1916 Easter Rising. www.dib.ie/biography/ca...

#DIBLives #OTD 1913 Ireland's first 'Bloody Sunday' took place when James Larkin, disguised as an elderly clergyman, addressed a crowd from the balcony of the Imperial Hotel. The Dublin Metropolitan Police baton-charged the crowd, killing two and injuring hundreds. www.dib.ie/biography/la...

#DIBLives A fearless pioneer for women's rights and child welfare in Ireland, Rosa (Mary) Barrett (d. #OTD 1936) fought tirelessly for equality for women. In 1879 she founded Dublin's first crèche for working mothers on low incomes in Kingstown (Dún Laoghaire). www.dib.ie/biography/ba...

#DIBLives Trade unionist and suffragist Cissie Cahalan (d. #OTD 1948) was the first and only female president of the Irish Union of Distributive Workers and Clerks (IUDWC). Her tenure oversaw the establishment of a minimum wage and an end to the living-in system. www.dib.ie/biography/ca...

#NewBlog 'Balloonists and aviatrixes: spotlight on the early history of Irish aviation.' In this month's blog, managing editor of @dib.ie Dr Eoin Kinsella explores the first flight in Ireland, and the lives of three remarkable Irish women aviators. www.dib.ie/blog/balloon...

On 23 August 1170 Richard FitzGilbert de Clare, known as Strongbow, landed near Waterford with a force of 200 knights and 1000 other troops. The city fell two days later and #OTD Diarmait MacMurchada's daughter Aífe was given to Strongbow in marriage. www.dib.ie/biography/ai...

'I met with Napper Tandy And he took me by the hand He said "How's dear old Ireland? And how does she stand?' Merchant, Volunteer and radical politician James Napper Tandy, one of the founding members of the United Irishmen, died in exile in France #OTD 1803. www.dib.ie/biography/ta...

We were very saddened to hear of the passing of our former colleague, managing editor and friend, Dr James Quinn, on Saturday, 8 August. James served as executive editor and then managing editor of the DIB and made an enormous contribution to Irish history and biography: www.dib.ie/news/sad-new...

#DIBLives After a daring escape from an Australian prison, journalist, poet and political activist John Boyle O’Reilly made his way to Boston where he became a passionate advocate for all victims of racial, class and religious oppression. He died #OTD 1890. www.dib.ie/biography/or...

#DIBLives A master portraitist & fierce force for culture, painter, stained-glass artist, art activist & founder of An Túr Gloine, Sarah Purser was the first woman admitted to the RHA. She died #OTD 1943 from a stroke precipitated by the 'bad art' on a commemorative stamp. www.dib.ie/biography/pu...

#NewLives 'The only bishop to unequivocally admit in evidence to the commission that he may not have handled matters satisfactorily', Bishop Laurence Forristal was virtually unique in his willingness to acknowledge his repeated failures to deal adequately with CCSA. www.dib.ie/biography/fo...

#NewLives ‘A voice not only for peace but for reconciliation, for recognising all traditions & beliefs on the island of Ireland.’ The New Ireland Movement founded by surgeon & peace activist John Robb, focused on non-violent consensus across religious & political divides. www.dib.ie/biography/ro...

#NewLives 'The voice of a saint trapped in a glass harp.’ From an early age, Dolores O’Riordan used her lyrics and songwriting to reflect and process her emotions; her words provided the framework for the band, but her voice that gave The Cranberries their unique sound. www.dib.ie/biography/or...

#DIBLives Printer, politician, anti-slavery activist & internationalist Alfred John Webb (d. #OTD 1908) connected Irish reform movements with campaigns for justice across the world. He made history in 1894 as the second non-Indian President of the Indian National Congress. www.dib.ie/biography/we...

#DIBLives "Nobody is ordinary if you know where to look." Along with disappointment and disillusionment, rage and pain, Maeve Binchy's view of the world also included a reassuring belief in human goodness, resilience and recovery. She died #OTD 2012. www.dib.ie/biography/bi...

#DIBLives Comhghairdeas le Maigh Eo on winning the Sam Maguire cup for the first time in 75 years. The last Mayo captain to lift the cup was Seán Flanagan when he captained the county to back-to-back All-Ireland championships in 1950 and 1951. www.dib.ie/biography/fl...