Clune, Patrick Joseph
Clune, Patrick Joseph (1864–1935), catholic archbishop of Perth, was born 27 January 1864 at Ruan, Co. Clare, fifth of eleven children of James Clune, farmer, and Margaret Clune (née Lynch). Educated at St Flannan?s College, Ennis, he entered All Hallows College, Dublin, where he…...
Cockran, William Bourke
Cockran, William Bourke (1854–1923), lawyer and US congressman, was born 28 February 1854 in Carrowkeel, Co. Sligo, one of four sons and a daughter of Martin Cockran, landlord and horseman, and Harriet Cockran (née Knight-White). On the death of his father in a fall from a horse (…...
Coffey, George
Coffey, George (1857–1916), archaeologist and nationalist, was born 2 July 1857 in Dublin, the third and youngest son of James Charles Coffey (d. 1880), county court judge for Londonderry, and his wife, Anna Maria Coffey (formerly Lee Trafford, née Wilkinson). Educated at…...
Coffey, Peter
Coffey, Peter (1876–1943), priest and professor ofphilosophy, was born 27 April 1876 in Rathrone, Enfield, Co. Meath, son of Andrew Coffey, farmer, and Bridget Coffey (née Cosgrove). Educated at the model school, Trim, the diocesan seminary, Navan, and St Patrick's College,…...
Cogan, Anthony
Cogan, Anthony (1824/5–72), catholic priest and diocesan historian, was born at Slane, Co. Meath, the first of the six sons of Thomas Cogan, a baker, and his wife Anne (née Sillary). Anne Cogan, whose family owned land at Nobber and Platten, was a protestant until her marriage.…...
Cogly, Quentin (Quintin)
Cogly, Quentin (Quintin) (d. 1539?), Dominican priest and bishop of Dromore, was a member of the Gaelic Irish family of Ó Coigligh, a branch of the Uí Fiachrach, who in times long past had been settled in the barony of Carra, Co. Mayo, but in the sixteenth century were dispersed…...
Cohalan (Coghlan), Daniel
Cohalan (Coghlan), Daniel (1858–1952), theologian and catholic bishop of Cork, was born at Kilmichael, Co. Cork, on 14 July 1858, and educated at national schools, St Vincent's Seminary, Cork, and St Patrick's College, Maynooth. Ordained priest in 1883, he was a curate at…...
Cohen, Isaac
Cohen, Isaac (1914–2007), chief rabbi of the Republic of Ireland (1959–79), was born 26 July 1914 in Llanelli, Wales, one of three children born to shopkeeper parents of Lithuanian birth. Growing up amongst a community of fifty or so orthodox Jewish families, Cohen retained rich…...
Cohen, Joseph Wolfe
Cohen, Joseph Wolfe (1780–1869), president of the Dublin Hebrew Congregation, was born September 1780 in Poznan, Poland (soon to become a Prussian possession as ‘Posen’). After living in Birmingham, he settled in Dublin c.1819. One of the principal founders of the revived…...
Coigly (Coigley, Quigley, O'Coigley), James
Coigly (Coigley, Quigley, O'Coigley), James (1761–98), United Irishman and catholic priest, was born in August 1761 in Kilmore, Co. Armagh, second son of James Coigly, farmer, and Louisa Coigly (née Donnelly). In the absence of seminary education in penal Ireland, Coigly served an…...
Colgan, John
Colgan, John (1592?–1658), Franciscan friar and hagiographer, was born in Priestown in the parish of Donagh, Inishowen, Co. Donegal. Little is known for certain of his early years or family circumstances. He was a member of a well-established Donegal clerical family, the Mac Colgans of…...
Collins, Dominic
Collins, Dominic (c.1566–1602), soldier, Jesuit, and martyr, was born in Youghal, Co. Cork, son of John Collins, previously mayor of Youghal, and Felicity Collins (née O'Dril or O'Duala). In the aftermath of the passing of the acts of supremacy and uniformity (1560) he was born…...
Collins, John Henry
Collins, John Henry (1880–1952), lawyer and politician, was born 3 March 1880 in Newry, Co. Down, elder son of Henry Patrick Collins, auctioneer of Derrybeg, Newry, Co. Down, and Kate Collins, daughter of Frank McDonald, farmer, of Carrickredmond, Dundalk, Co. Louth. The family…...
Collins, Patrick
Collins, Patrick (1910–94), painter, was born 6 November 1910 at Dromore West, Co. Sligo, second of four children of William Collins, RIC constable, and Mary Collins (née McLaughlin), daughter of a businessman from Dowra, Co. Cavan.…...
Comerford (Comberford, Quemerford), Nicholas
Comerford (Comberford, Quemerford), Nicholas (c.1541/5–c.1599), Jesuit, was born in Waterford city, son of Patrick Comerford and his wife, who was a Walsh. He was educated at Peter White's renowned school in Kilkenny city before studying at Oxford for at least…...
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…...
Comerford, James ('Jim') Joseph
Comerford, James ('Jim') Joseph (1901–88), nationalist, judge and parade organiser, was born on 7 January 1901 in the family home at Coolraheen, Muckalee, Co. Kilkenny, the only child of John Comerford, farmer, of Coolraheen, and his wife Julia (née Kavanagh), schoolteacher, from…...
Comerford, Patrick
Comerford, Patrick (c.1584–1652), catholic bishop of Waterford and Lismore, was the son of Robert Comerford, merchant, of Waterford, and his wife, Anastasia (née White) of Clonmel. He was educated in Waterford and Kilkenny, and was one of the first students at the Irish…...
Comyn, George
Comyn, George (d. 1663), lawyer and politician, second son of Edmund Comyn and Gennett Sarsfield, was born into a family that had played a leading role in the civic life of Limerick for over two centuries. George trained as a lawyer, entering Gray's Inn on 11 February 1621, before…...
Comyn, Sir James Peter
Comyn, Sir James Peter (1921–97), leading barrister and high court judge in England, was born 8 March 1921 in Beaufield House, Stillorgan, Co. Dublin, the only son of James Comyn, a barrister and former civil servant from Ballyvaughan, Co. Clare, and his wife Mary Moloney,…...
Concanen, Richard Luke
Concanen, Richard Luke (1747–1810), catholic bishop of New York, was born in Kilbegnet, Co. Roscommon, son of Luke Concanen and Mary Concanen (née Corr), presumably of small farming stock. In 1764 he entered the Dominican order at the Irish college of Holy Cross, Louvain. Soon he…...
Concannon, Helena
Concannon, Helena (1878–1952), historian and politician, was born 28 October 1878 in Magherafelt, Co. Londonderry, one of two daughters of Louis Walsh, hotel owner in Maghera, Co. Londonderry, and Elizabeth Walsh (née Donnelly); there were also three sons. Louis Walsh had been a…...
Condon, Colm (Columba)
Condon, Colm (Columba) (1921–2008), barrister and attorney general, was born 16 July 1921 in Ashbourne, Co. Meath, the only son and third of six children of Thomas Condon, of Cloonand House, Ashbourne, an accountant and revolutionary, and his wife Margaret (née Maguire), a national…...
Conefrey, Peter
Conefrey, Peter (1880–1939), catholic priest and social critic, was born 9 June 1880 in Mohill, Co. Leitrim, son of James Conefrey, publican, and his wife Mary McGivney. There were many priests on both sides of the family. His uncle, Fr Thomas Conefrey, parish priest of Drumlish,…...
Conlon, Sarah (née Maguire)
Conlon, Sarah (née Maguire) (1926–2008), campaigner, was born 20 January 1926 in the Falls Road area of Belfast, the daughter of Vincent Maguire and Mary Catherine Maguire; she had three brothers and three sisters. Sarah's life was dominated by work, family and religion. On leaving…...