Keane, Ronan

Conolly, Thomas James (Tommy) (1902–92), lawyer, was born in Dublin on 4 January 1902, the second of six children, five daughters and one son, of Thomas Conolly, master builder, of Fernville, Glasnevin, and his wife, Teresa (née McQuaid), of Stormanstown, Co. Dublin. Educated at…

FitzGerald, William O'Brien (‘Billy’) (1906–74), barrister and judge, was born 26 March 1906 in Cork. His mother, Mary Frances Dormon, was married first to William Dwyer, and then, after Dwyer's death, to William FitzGerald who was clerk of the crown and peace in Mallow; the…

Heuston, Robert Francis Vere (1923–95), jurist, was born in Dublin on 17 November 1923. He was the eldest son of Vere Douglas Heuston, managing clerk in Guinness's brewery, and his wife, Dorothy Helen, née Coulter. He was proud of his direct descent from a first cousin of…

Kelly, John Maurice (1931–91), scholar, politician, and writer, was born 31 August 1931 in Dublin, eldest of three sons of Joseph Kelly, chief executive officer of the Agricultural Credit Corporation, from Co. Kerry, and May Kelly (née Boyle), civil servant, from Co. Mayo. John Kelly…

Kennedy, Hugh (1879–1936), first attorney general and chief justice of the Irish Free State, was born 11 July 1879 in Dublin, eldest among five children of Hugh Boyle Kennedy (d. 1923) of 8 Great Denmark St., Dublin (a Donegal-born surgeon who had spent some years in the Society of…

MacBride, Seán (1904–88), lawyer and politician, was born in Paris on 26 January 1904. He was the only child of the marriage of Major John MacBride (qv) and (Edith) Maud Gonne (qv) and…

Murnaghan, James Augustine (1881–1973), judge and jurist, was born 6 July 1881 in St Louis, Missouri, USA, to which his parents, George Murnaghan and his wife, Angela (née Mooney), had emigrated in the 1860s. They returned to Omagh, Co. Tyrone, about 1883 where his father began to…

Ó Dálaigh, Cearbhall (1911–78), chief justice of Ireland, judge of the court of justice of the European Communities, and president of Ireland, was born 12 February 1911 at 85 Main Street, Bray, Co. Wicklow, second among three children of Risteard Ó Dálaigh, manager of McCabe's fish shop…

O'Hanlon, Roderick Joseph (‘Rory’) (1923–2002), barrister, judge, and jurist, was born 11 April 1923 in Dublin, the third son of Terence O'Hanlon, journalist, of 14 Royse Road, Phibsboro, and his wife, Mary (née Hally). He was educated at Coláiste Mhuire, Dublin,…

Russell, Charles (1832–1900), Baron Russell of Killowen , lord chief justice of England and Wales 1894–1900, was born 10 November 1832 in Newry, Co. Down, one of six children of Arthur Russell, owner of a brewery in Newry, and Margaret Russell (née Mullan). She had five children by her…