Biographies A-Z

Holmes, Sir Gordon Morgan (1876–1965), neurologist, was born 22 February 1876 in Dublin, eldest son among three sons and one daughter of Gordon Holmes, landowner, and Kathleen Holmes (née Morgan), and spent his childhood at Dellin House, Castlebellingham, Co. Louth. He was educated…

Holmes, Thomas Rice Edward (1855–1933), historian and classicist, was born 24 May 1855 at Waterstown House, near Athlone, Co. Westmeath, fifth son of Robert Holmes, farmer and breeder of cows and horses, and Jane Holmes (née Henn). Originally taught by a private tutor, he entered…

Holmes, William (1779–1851), politician, was born in Sligo, fifth son of Thomas Holmes, brewer of Farmhill, Co. Sligo, and his wife Anne, daughter of Harlow Phibbs of Co. Sligo. He was educated at TCD, where he matriculated (6 April…

This is a co-subject for the entry on Holohan (Houlihan), Patrick (‘Paddy’). View the original entry.

Holohan (Houlihan), Patrick (‘Paddy’) (1897–1946), revolutionary nationalist and trade unionist, was born 2 October 1897 at 3 Terrace Place, off Bella St. in the Dublin north inner city, son of Patrick Holohan, labourer, and Bridget Holohan (née Burns). He joined the republican…

Holt, Ernest William Lyons (1864–1922), naturalist and antiquary, was born 17 October 1864 in London. He was educated at Eton, where he won the Biological Prize, and entering the army through Sandhurst, he joined the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry. He served through the Nile…

Holt, Joseph (1756?–1826), United Irishman, was born at Ballydonnell, Wicklow, one of six children of John Holt, a protestant farmer, and his wife, Mary. While the headstone on his grave records his year of birth as 1756, he was baptised in July 1759 in the Church of Ireland…

Holwell, John Zephaniah (1711–98), surgeon and governor of Bengal, was born 17 September 1711 in Dublin, son of Zephaniah Holwell (d. 1729), timber merchant, and Sarah Holwell (née Bott). His grandfather, John Holwell of Holwell Hall, Devonshire, England, was astronomer royal and…

Holywood, Christopher (1559–1626), Jesuit priest, was son of Nicholas Holywood of Artane castle, Dublin, lord of manors in Co. Dublin, Co. Meath, and Co. Wexford. His mother was a niece of Christopher Nugent, Baron Delvin. He was educated at the University of Padua and entered the…

Home, Robert (1752–1834), artist, was born 6 August 1752 in Hull, England, one of eight children of Robert Boyne Home, army surgeon, and his wife Mary, daughter of Col. Hutchinson, governor of St Helena. His parents intended him to study medicine but Robert prevented this by running…

This is a co-subject for the entry on Holmes (Homes), William. View the original entry.

Hone, Eva Sydney (‘Evie’) (1894–1955), painter and stained-glass artist, was born 22 April 1894 at Roebuck Grove, Clonskeagh, Co. Dublin, youngest among four daughters of Joseph Hone, prominent maltster and director of the Bank of Ireland, and Eva Hone (née Robinson), who died…

Hone, Horace (1754–1825), miniaturist, was born in Frith St., London, second son of Nathaniel Hone (qv) (1718–84), and Mary Hone (née Earle) of York, England. His father taught him the techniques of painting miniature portraits on ivory…

Hone, Joseph Maunsell (1882–1959), critic, biographer, and publisher, was born 8 February 1882 at Queen's Park, Monkstown, Co. Dublin, the eldest son of William Hone (1842–1919), a well-known cricketer who played for Ireland and the MCC, and his wife, Sarah, the daughter of James…

Hone, Nathaniel (1718–84), portrait painter, was born 24 April 1718, third among five sons of Nathaniel Hone, merchant of Wood Quay, Dublin, and Rebeckah Hone (née Brindley). The Hone family was presbyterian and their ancestors, some of whom were Dutch goldsmiths, had emigrated…

Hone, Nathaniel (1831–1917), painter, was born 26 October 1831 at Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin, one of the large family of Brindley Hone, lawyer and company director. The Hones had emigrated to Ireland from Holland in the early eighteenth century and produced a lord mayor of Dublin…

Honner, Maria (1808–70), actress, was born Maria Macarthy on 21 December 1808 in Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh, daughter of Eugene Macarthy (1788–1866), actor and manager. Educated in Cork, she lost her mother (name unknown) at a young age and made an early debut, at the age of 15, on…

Honorius Augustodunensis (fl. c.1156) is one of the most enigmatic authors of the middle ages. Honorius is a nom de plume, for (as he said in his first work, the ‘Elucidarium’, a rudimentary synopsis of dogmatic theology) ‘nomen autem meum volui silentio contegi…

Hood, John (1720/21?–1783), land surveyor, was apparently born in Co. Donegal. There may have been two John Hoods, father and son, who were both surveyors; if so, it is impossible to disentangle their careers and dates of vital events. John Hood, surveyor, died in 1783, and there is…

Hooke, Luke Joseph (1714–96), theologian, was born in Dublin, one of three children of Nathaniel Hooke (d. 1763), the historian of Rome and nephew of the Jacobite agent Nathaniel Hooke (qv) (1660–1738), and his wife, Mary (née Gore).…

Hooke, Nathaniel (1664–1738), Jacobite envoy, was born at Corballis, Co. Meath, the third son of John Hooke, a merchant at Drogheda, and his wife Margaret, the daughter of Christopher Hooke; it is not known whether or in what way his parents were related. He was the grandson of…

Hooker, Helen O'Malley Roelefs (1905–93), sculptor, was born 1 January 1905 in Connecticut, USA, third among four daughters of Elon Huntingdon Hooker (1869–1938), chemical engineer and businessman, and his wife Blanche (1871–1956), daughter of Dexter Mason Ferry, a wealthy Detroit…

Hooper, John (1846–97), journalist and politician, was born probably in the townland of Coolnagillagh Lower, near Millstreet, Co. Cork; his family was certainly living there in 1852. His father, Patrick Hooper (c.1800–83), was a land steward. He received a good education…

Hooper, Patrick Joseph (1873–1931), journalist and senator, was born 1 June 1873 in Cork city, eldest son and third child of John Hooper (qv), journalist and politician, and Mary Jane Hooper (née Buckley). He had four brothers and five…

Hope, James (‘Jemmy’) (1764–1847), United Irishman and social radical, was born on 25 August 1764 in Templepatrick, Co. Antrim, the second of three sons of John Hope, a linen weaver who was the son of a Covenanting Scottish immigrant, and Sarah Hope (née Speers). He received little…