Barrett, Eaton Stannard
Barrett, Eaton Stannard (1785/6–1820), satirical writer, was born in Cork city, eldest son of Richard Barrett, gentleman; nothing is known of his mother. He was educated at a private school in Surrey (where he wrote a play, which was performed at the school), and at…...
Barrett, James Rupert Edward Boyd
Barrett, James Rupert Edward Boyd (c.1904–1976), architect, was born in Loughborough, Leicestershire, eldest of at least four sons of James Charles Boyd Barrett, electrical engineer, and Mary Jacqueline Boyd Barrett (née Robinson), and grandson of J. L.…...
Barre, William Joseph
Barre, William Joseph (1830–67), architect, was born in Newry, Co. Down, and articled to Thomas Duff of Newry (1847–8) and Edward Gribbon of Dublin (1848–50) before establishing his practice (1850) in Newry. He gained immediate recognition with his controversial design for the…...
Barrington, Margaret (Louise)
Barrington, Margaret (Louise) (1896–1982), writer and journalist, was born 10 May 1896 in Malin, Co. Donegal, one of three daughters of Richard Barrington, RIC sergeant (later district inspector), and Charlotte Barrington (née Scott). Owing…...
Barry, Michael Joseph
Barry, Michael Joseph (1817–89), Young Irelander, poet, and journalist, was born 26 March 1817 in Blackrock, Cork city, eldest among five children of Michael Joseph Barry, a catholic merchant, and his wife Anne (née England). John England (qv…...
Barton, Arthur Henry ('Harry')
Barton, Arthur Henry ('Harry') (1916–2006), naval officer, writer, broadcaster, and public figure in Northern Ireland, was born 13 January 1916 in Belfast, only son of Arthur Willis Barton (qv), then Church of Ireland curate in…...
Battersby, William Joseph
Battersby, William Joseph (1794/5–1873), catholic bookseller and writer, is first mentioned in 1825, in Wilson's Dublin Directory, as a printer at 33 Winetavern Street, Dublin. He was to flourish in the 1830s, 1840s, and 1850s, a period of rapidly growing catholic…...
Battier, Henrietta
Battier, Henrietta (Fleming ) (1751?–1813), poet and satirist. Little is known of Battier's background, other than she was the daughter of John Fleming of Staholmock, Co. Meath. In November 1768 she married in Carnarvon, north Wales, Capt. John Gaspard (Gasper, Gaspar) Battier, 5th…...
Béaslaí, Piaras
Béaslaí, Piaras (1881–1965), writer, revolutionary, politician, language revivalist, and journalist, was born Percy (later Pierce , Piaras) Beazley on 15 February 1881 in Liverpool, England, second of three sons of Patrick Langford Beazley, editor of the Catholic Times from…...
Beaufort, Daniel Augustus
Beaufort, Daniel Augustus (1739–1821), clergyman, architect, and cartographer, was born 1 October 1739 in London, son of Daniel Cornelius Beaufort and Esther Beaufort (née Gougeon), members of the huguenot community. The family moved to Ireland when Daniel's father became chaplain…...
Beckett, George Francis
Beckett, George Francis (1877–1961), architect, was born 15 April 1877 in Dublin, one of several sons in a family of five children of James Beckett , builder (founder and president of the Dublin Master Builders' Association), and his second wife, Frances (née Horner). He was…...
Beckett, Mary
Beckett, Mary (1926–2013), writer, was born on 28 January 1926 in the family home at 48 Knutsford Drive, Belfast, the third of four children to Seán Beckett, a school principal, and his wife Catherine (née Bryson). The family were catholic, and she was educated at St Columban's…...
Beckett, Samuel Barclay
Beckett, Samuel Barclay (1906–89), writer, was born on Good Friday, 13 April 1906, at ‘Cooldrinagh’, Foxrock, Co. Dublin, younger of two sons of William Beckett (1871–1933), quantity surveyor, of Dublin, and Maria (‘May’) Beckett (née Roe; 1871–1950), originally of Leixlip, Co. Kildare…...
Behan, Beatrice
Behan, Beatrice (1925–93), artist and memoirist, was born 31 December 1925 at Mount St., Dublin, eldest daughter of the artist Cecil ffrench Salkeld (qv), ARHA, and Irma Salkeld (née Taesler…...
Behan, Brendan Francis
Behan, Brendan Francis (1923–64), writer, was born 9 February 1923 in Holles St. Hospital, Dublin, eldest of five children of Frank Behan, a house painter then imprisoned as a republican, and Kathleen Behan (née Kearney) (qv), sister of…...
Behan, Brian Finbar Oliver Plunkett
Behan, Brian Finbar Oliver Plunkett (1926–2002), writer, radical, and bohemian, was born Brian Desmond Behan (the name appearing on the birth certificate) on 10 November 1926 in the Rotunda hospital, Dublin, while the family were residing at 14 Russell St., the third of five children of…...
Behan, Dominic
Behan, Dominic (1928–89), writer, balladeer, and broadcaster, was born 22 October 1928 in Dublin, fourth child of five children of Stephen Behan, house painter, and Kathleen Behan (qv) (née Kearney). Educated at St Agatha's School, North…...
Bell, (John) Bowyer
Bell, (John) Bowyer (1931–2003), writer on the IRA and artist, was born 15 November 1931 in New York City, but grew up in Alabama after his parents moved there. He majored in history at undergraduate level at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia; at the same time he…...
Bell, Robert
Bell, Robert (1800–67), writer, was born 16 January 1800, youngest son of John or Robert or Thomas Bell of either Cork or Dublin, who was either a doctor or of independent means, and who may have died while Robert was at school. There are serious problems in identifying him. The…...
Bell, Sam Hanna
Bell, Sam Hanna (1909–90), writer, was born 16 October 1909 in Glasgow, eldest of three sons of James Hanna Bell, a journalist on the Glasgow Herald, and Jane Bell (née McIlveen) whose family farmed near Raffrey, Co. Down; the couple were married (1908) in Jane's local…...
Bennett, Arthur (Art Mac Bionaid)
Bennett, Arthur (Art Mac Bionaid) (1793–1879), scribe, scholar, and poet in Irish, was born in Ballykeel, Forkhill, Co. Armagh, one of seven children of the farmer John Bennett and his wife Mary Bennett. He was a direct descendent of the poet Micheál Ó hÍr, author of ‘Seachrán…...
Bennis, Elizabeth (Eliza)
Bennis, Elizabeth (Eliza) (1725–1802), methodist activist and diarist, was probably born in Limerick, one of two surviving daughters of Isaac and Alice (née Mitchell) Patten . The Pattens were presbyterian, and Elizabeth had a conventionally pious upbringing and evidently received…...
Benson, Sir John
Benson, Sir John (1812–74), architect and engineer, was the only son of John Benson of Collooney, Co. Sligo. He probably trained at the Dublin Society school of architectural drawing, and won premiums in 1832. His commissions in Co. Sligo included restoration work on Markree Castle…...
Bergin, Osborn Joseph
Bergin, Osborn Joseph (1873–1950), Celtic scholar and poet, was born 26 November 1873 in Cork city, one of seven children (five girls and two boys) of Osborn Robert Bergin, a provision merchant, and Sarah Bergin (née Reddin), daughter of a shopkeeper. His brother, William Bergin, became…...
Bernard (Barnard), Nicholas
Bernard (Barnard), Nicholas (d. 1661), Church of Ireland clergyman and writer, was born in England about the start of the seventeenth century. He entered Emmanuel College, Cambridge in May 1617, graduating BA (1621) and…...