Biographies A-Z

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Thomson, Sir William

Thomson, Sir William (1843–1909), surgeon and medical writer, was born 29 June 1843 at Downpatrick, Co. Down, youngest and only surviving son of William Thomson, originally from Lanark, Scotland, and his wife Margaret, daughter of Thomas Patterson of Monklands, Lanarkshire. His…

Thomson, Sir William Willis Dalziel

Thomson, Sir William Willis Dalziel (1885–1950), doctor, was born 8 September 1885 at Anahilt House, Hillsborough, Co. Down, first (and possibly only) son and fourth child of Dr William Thomson, JP, and Elizabeth Thomson (née Greer). He…

Thomson, William

Thomson, William (1824–1907), 1st Baron Kelvin of Largs , physicist, was born 26 June 1824 at College Square East, Belfast, son of James Thomson (qv), who taught in the RBAI, and…

Thornberry, Cedric Henry Reid

Thornberry, Cedric Henry Reid (1936–2014), human rights lawyer, journalist and UN official, was born on 22 June 1936 at 14 Ardmore Park South, Belfast, the elder son of (William Henry) Laylee Thornbury, headmaster of Lurgan Model School, and his wife Lila (née Watson). Cedric was raised…

Thornley, David Andrew Taylor

Thornley, David Andrew Taylor (1935–78), academic, broadcaster, and politician, was born 31 July 1935 in Sutton, Surrey, youngest child among two sons and one daughter of Frederick Edward Thornley (d. 1953) and Maud Helen Thornley (née Browne). His parents, both civil servants,…

Thornton, Brigid Lyons

Thornton, Brigid Lyons (1896–1987), public health doctor and first female commissioned officer in the Irish Free State army, was born 13 May 1896 in Northyard, Scramogue, Co. Roscommon, the eldest child of the two daughters and one son of Patrick Lyons, farmer, and Margaret Lyons…

Thornton, Frank

Thornton, Frank (1891–1965), revolutionary and company director, was born 12 April 1891 in Peter Street, eldest of three sons and five daughters of Hugh Thornton, housepainter, and his wife Mary (née Harte), both of Drogheda, Co. Louth. He was educated at St Joseph's…

Thornton, Matthew

Thornton, Matthew (1714–1803), doctor and politician in America, was born on 3 March 1714 in the north of Ireland, probably close to Derry city. He may have been the third among five sons, and perhaps also had three sisters. His father, James Thornton, said to have been married to…

Threlkeld, Caleb

Threlkeld, Caleb (1676–1728), doctor, minister of religion, and botanist, was born 31 May 1676 in Keybergh or Keibergh in the parish of Kirkoswald, Cumberland, England, third among three sons of Thomas Threlkeld and Bridget Threlkeld (née Brown), who both died in 1712. He also had three…

Thrift, Harry

This is a co-subject for the entry on Thrift, William Edward. View the original entry.

Thrift, William Edward

Thrift, William Edward (1870–1942), academic and politician, was born 28 February 1870 in Halifax, Yorkshire, England, one of at least two sons and two daughters of Henry George Thrift, civil servant, and Sarah Anne Thrift (née Smith). The family moved in his childhood to Dublin,…

Throssel, George

Throssel, George (1840–1910), businessman and state premier, was born 24 May 1840 in Fermoy, Co. Cork, the second of five children (four sons and a daughter) of Michael Throssel (d. 1855) and his wife (Ann) Jane (née Ledsam; d. 1854). His father had been born in England and come to…

Thurneysen, Rudolf

Thurneysen, Rudolf (1857–1940), Celticist, was born on 14 March 1857 in Basel, Switzerland, son of Eduard Thurneysen, silk manufacturer, and Eliza, daughter of Peter Merian, sometimes rector and professor of the natural sciences at the university of Basel. Among his teachers at the…

Thurston, Ernest Charles Temple

This is a co-subject for the entry on Thurston, Katherine Cecil. View the original entry.

Thurston, Katherine Cecil

Thurston, Katherine Cecil (1875–1911), novelist, was born 18 April 1875 in Wood's Gift, Co. Cork, daughter of Paul Madden , chairman of the Munster and Leinster Bank and twice nationalist lord mayor of Cork, and Catherine Madden (née Barry). Educated privately, she enjoyed horse-riding…

Tichbourne (Tichborne), Sir Henry

Tichbourne (Tichborne), Sir Henry (1581–1667), soldier and lord justice, was the fourth son of Sir Benjamin Tichbourne of Tichbourne, Hampshire, who was a baronet and gentleman of the privy chamber of James I, and Amphillis, daughter of Richard Weston of Skrynes, Essex. He served…

Tickell, George

Tickell, George (1828/9–1892), unionist, businessman and newspaper proprietor, was the eldest of at least two sons of Thomas Tickell (d. 1873), a timber merchant of North King Street, Dublin. The Tickells were an old-established Dublin protestant merchant family who had been resident…

Tiedt, Frederick (‘Fred’)

Tiedt, Frederick (‘Fred’) (1935–99), amateur boxer, was born 16 October 1935 in Beggar's Bush, Dublin, one of five sons and three daughters of Ernest Tiedt, bus driver, whose father had emigrated from Germany, and Eileen Tiedt (née Stewart) of Dublin. Educated locally at Ringsend…

Tierney, Mark

Tierney, Mark (1925–2011), Benedictine monk and historian, was born Gerald Francis Tierney in Dublin on 10 January 1925, fourth child among five sons and one daughter of Gerald Tierney (1885–1938), gynaecologist, and Marie Tierney (née Blanche). His mother was the elder daughter of…

Tierney, Michael

Tierney, Michael (1894–1975), academic and president of UCD, was born 30 September 1894 at Esker in the parish of Ballymacward, near Castleblakeney, Co. Galway, fourth of six children (four sons and two daughters) of Michael Tierney (a small farmer with little more than ten acres…

Tierney, Patrick (Pat)

Tierney, Patrick (Pat) (1957–96), author and activist, was born in Galway on 4 January 1957 to Bridget Tierney of An Cheathrú Rua (Carraroe), Co. Galway. The identity of his father was not recorded. His mother worked as a live-in domestic at St Mary's College, Galway, and while Pat…

Tierney, Sir Matthew John

Tierney, Sir Matthew John (1776–1845), physician, was born 24 November 1776 at Ballyscanlan, Co. Limerick, eldest son of John Tierney and his wife Mary, daughter of James Gleeson of Rathcannon, Co. Limerick. Educated at Mr Buckley's school at Athlacca, he then went to London where…

Tigernach

Tigernach (d. c.549), abbot and bishop of Cluain Auiss (Clones, Co. Monaghan), was (according to an imperfect copy of his Life in the ‘Codex Salmanticensis’) son of Cairbre, a Leinsterman, and Darfraích, daughter of Eochaid, king of Airgialla, with whom he was reared. It…

Tighe, Edward

Tighe, Edward (1740–1801?), politician, lawyer, and writer, was the second son in the family of three sons and two daughters of William Tighe (1710–66) and his first wife Mary (d. 1748), eldest daughter of John Bligh, 1st earl of Darnley. William Tighe, born on 21 December 1710,…

Tighe, Joan

Tighe, Joan (1922–2014), journalist, editor and historian, was born on 28 June 1922 in Dublin, the second eldest of six children of Robert Tighe and his wife Catherine Angela (née Moloney). Robert Tighe served as a British army lieutenant during the first world war and was later…