Collins, John
Collins, John (1883–1954), civil servant, was born 29 May 1883 in Waterford city, one of four children of John Collins, borough constable, and Bridget Collins (née Quinlan), of the City Hall, Waterford. Educated at Mount Sion CBS,…...
Comerford, Gerard (Gerald, Garret)
Comerford, Gerard (Gerald, Garret) (d. 1604), attorney and judge, was a younger son of Fowke (Fulke) Comerford of Callan, Co. Kilkenny, and his wife Rosina Rothe. His father was a loyal adherent of Thomas Butler (qv), 10th earl of…...
Commins, Thomas Vincent
Commins, Thomas Vincent (1913–85), diplomat, was born 3 October 1913 at Ballymoreen, Littleton, Co. Tipperary, third among six children of James Commins (b. 1877) and Mary Commins (née Corbett; b. 1887), both national school teachers. He was educated at Rockwell College, Co. Tipperary,…...
Connolly, Joseph
Connolly, Joseph (1885–1961), politician, businessman and civil servant, was born 19 January 1885 at 41 Alexander St. West, Belfast, one of fourteen children (five of whom died in infancy) of John Connolly, master baker, and Margaret Connolly (née MacNeill) of Cushendall, Co.…...
Conolly, Violet
Conolly, Violet (1899–1988), authority on Soviet Russia and traveller, was born 11 May 1899 at Fernville, Glasnevin, Co. Dublin, the eldest of six children, five daughters and one son, of Thomas Conolly, a master builder, and his wife, Teresa (née McQuaid), of Stormanstown, Co.…...
Conroy, Sheila (née Williams)
Conroy, Sheila (née Williams) (1918–2012), trade unionist, social activist and administrator, was born on 22 April 1918 (or 4 April 1917) in Bantry, Co. Cork, only child of Harry and Jane Williams. A Welsh petty officer in the Royal Navy, Harry Williams was stationed at Bantry (1914–…...
Conway, Thomas
Conway, Thomas (1733–95), French army officer and governor of Mauritius, was born on 27 February 1733 at Templenoe, near Nedeen, Co. Kerry, elder son of James Conway (1711–87), a French army officer, and his wife, Julia, daughter of Denis Mahony of Dromore. The Conways and Mahonys…...
Cosgrave, Mary Josephine
Cosgrave, Mary Josephine (c.1877–1941), social worker and local politician, was born in Naas, Co. Kildare, the daughter of James William Daly and Jane Daly. Educated at St Mary's Convent in Naas, she went on to study at St Andrews University, from where she graduated LLA…...
Costello, Michael Joseph (‘Mickey Joe’)
Costello, Michael Joseph (‘Mickey Joe’) (1904–86), army officer and public servant, was born 2 July 1904 in Cloughjordan, Co. Tipperary, the eldest of five boys and three girls (three of the children died of influenza in 1917) of Denis Costello of Kilmihill, Co. Clare, and Teresa…...
Costigan, Christopher
Costigan, Christopher (1810–35), explorer, was third son of Sylvester Costigan, distiller, of Thomas St., Dublin, and Catherine Costigan (née Fitzsimons or Fitzmont), formerly of Toddstown, Co. Meath. He was educated at Clongowes Wood College (1819–26) and, for a period, at…...
Costigan, Daniel
Costigan, Daniel (1911–79), civil servant and Garda commissioner, was born 18 February 1911 in Derryfada, Kealkil, Bantry, Co. Cork (where the Costigan family had lived for many generations), elder surviving son and third among six children of James Costigan (d. 1956) and Anne…...
Courtney, Michael Aidan
Courtney, Michael Aidan (1945–2003), catholic archbishop and Vatican diplomat, was born 5 February 1945 in Nenagh general hospital, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, youngest child among four sons and three daughters of Aloysius Daniel 'Louis' Courtney (see below), medical doctor, of 23 Summerhill…...
Coyne, Richard
Coyne, Richard (1776/7–1856), printer and bookseller, was first in business in 1808 at 154 Capel Street, Dublin. In 1821 he took over the business of Hugh Fitzpatrick (qv) (d. 1818) at 4 Capel Street and from the following year he…...
Coyne, Thomas Joseph (‘Tommy’)
Coyne, Thomas Joseph (‘Tommy’) (1901–61), civil servant, was born 22 February 1901 in Dublin, youngest among five children of William P. Coyne (qv), barrister, later head of the statistical section of the Department of Agriculture (…...
Crean, Thomas (‘Tom’)
Crean, Thomas (‘Tom’) (1877–1938), sailor and Antarctic explorer, was born either on or shortly before 16 February 1877 at Gurtuchrane, near Anascaul, Co. Kerry, one of eight sons and three daughters of Patrick Crean, farmer, and Catherine Crean (née Courtney). (His birth certificate…...
Cremin, Cornelius (‘Con’) Christopher
Cremin, Cornelius (‘Con’) Christopher (1908–87), diplomat, was born 6 December 1908 in Kenmare, Co. Kerry, the son of Denis J. Cremin, draper, and Ann Cremin (née Singleton) from Tuam, Co. Galway. He was educated at the local national school and as a boarder at St Brendan's College…...
Cross, Richard
Cross, Richard (1730s?–1809), bookseller, printer, and publisher, son of Michael Cross, was apprenticed to David Gibson (1750) and, being a catholic, admitted to the Dublin stationers’ guild only as a quarter brother (1758). Establishing himself in Bridge St., Dublin, where he…...
Curwin (Curwen, Coren), Hugh
Curwin (Curwen, Coren), Hugh (c.1507–1568), catholic and Church of Ireland archbishop of Dublin, was born in High Knipe, in the parish of Bampton, Westmorland. He attended Brasenose College, Oxford, graduating Bachelor of Civil Law in 1528 and Doctor of Civil Law on 5 July 1532…...
Cusack, Margaret Anna (‘The nun of Kenmare’)
Cusack, Margaret Anna (‘The nun of Kenmare’) (1829–99), nun and author, was born 6 May 1829 at Coolock, Co. Dublin, the elder of two children of Dr Samuel Cusack and his wife, Sarah (née Stoney). Early life and conversion to catholicism She was educated privately, learning informally…...
Daly, Sir Dominick
Daly, Sir Dominick (1798–1868), colonial administrator, was born 11 August 1798 at Ardfry, Co. Galway, third son of Dominick Daly of Benmore, Co. Galway, and his wife Joanna Harriet, daughter of Joseph Blake of Ardfry, widow of Richard Burke of Glinsk, and sister to Joseph Henry Blake,…...
Dawson, Charles
Dawson, Charles (1842–1917), businessman, MP and civic reformer, was born in Limerick city, son of Michael Dawson, baker and long-serving Limerick alderman, and his wife Maryanne (née Clarke), also of Limerick. Dawson's father appears to have been responsible for the foundation of the…...
Deeny, James Andrew
Deeny, James Andrew (1906–94), medical doctor and public health official, was born 7 November 1906 in North Street, Lurgan, Co. Armagh, one of three children of Michael Deeny, doctor, and Jane Margaret Deeny (née Donnelly); his sister Sheelagh and brother Donnell also became…...
Denvir, John
Denvir, John (1834–1916), author, journalist, publisher, and Fenian, was born in Bushmills, Co. Antrim, eldest son of James Denvir, clerk, of Ballywalter, Lecale, Co. Down, and Margaret ‘Peggy’ Denvir (née O'Loughlin) of Ballymagenaghy, Co. Down. Although born in Ireland while his…...
Devenish, John James
Devenish, John James (c. 1669–1739), military officer, was born to William Devenish of Curraghnegoole, near Strokestown, Co. Roscommon, and his wife Eleanor (née O’Conor Roe) of nearby Cloonfree, near Strokestown. His grandfather was George Devenish, a catholic Dublin merchant…...
Devlin, Denis
Devlin, Denis (1908–59), diplomat and poet, was born 15 April 1908 in Greenock, Scotland, oldest of nine children of…...