Acheson, Anne Crawford
Acheson, Anne Crawford (1882–1962), sculptor, was born in Portadown, Co. Armagh, one of several daughters of John Acheson and Harriet Glasgow Acheson, and was educated in Victoria College and later in the School of Art (both in Belfast) and then at the Royal College of Art, London,…...
Aiken, (Mary) Maud
Aiken, (Mary) Maud (1898–1978), musician, was born 13 August 1898 in Dublin, younger of two daughters of John J. Davin , grocer and alderman, and Mary Davin (née O'Gara). In 1914 she entered the Royal Irish Academy of Music and was awarded the Coulson scholarship (1914), the Coulson…...
Alcock, Deborah
Alcock, Deborah (1835–1913), author, was born in June 1835 in Waterford, second daughter of John Alcock, archdeacon of Waterford, and his wife Jane Innes. Her father's brother was Benjamin Alcock (qv). Her mother died when she was three…...
Alexander, Cecil Frances
Alexander, Cecil Frances (1818–95), hymn-writer, known in her family as Fanny, was born in Eccles Street, Dublin, second daughter (and third among seven children) of John Humphreys and Elizabeth Frances Humphreys (née Reed). Her mother's brother was Thomas Reed (1796–1883), a general…...
Alexander, Eleanor Jane (Nell)
This is a co-subject for the entry on Alexander, Cecil Frances. View the original entry....
Allister, Jean Maria
Allister, Jean Maria (1932–2012), contralto singer, was born on 26 February 1932 in Ballymoney, Co. Antrim, the first child of Samuel Allister, a driver and salesman, and his wife Margaret (née Hill). She had a younger brother. At first the family lived in Margaret Avenue in the town,…...
Alment, Mary Martha
Alment, Mary Martha (1834–1908) artist, was born 9 April 1834 at St Mary's Abbey, Dublin, the daughter of William F. Alment, who was the son of John Alment (1740?–1787), a huguenot scientific and mathematical instrument maker. Mary studied art at the…...
Annesley, Mabel Marguerite
Annesley, Mabel Marguerite (1881–1959), wood engraver and watercolourist, was born 25 February 1881 at Castlewellan, Co. Down, only daughter among two children of Hugh, 5th earl of Annesley, of Castlewellan, and his first wife, Mabel Wilhelmina Frances (née Markham). She was educated at…...
Balfour, Mary E.
Balfour, Mary E. (fl. 1789–1810), poet, was born on 24 January; one source gives the year as 1755. However, if – as seems likely – she was the eldest daughter of John Balfour (who seems to have been a doctor in Derry city before becoming a clergyman in 1789, and who…...
Baptist (Crow), Rachael
Baptist (Crow), Rachael (fl. 1750–73), a celebrated black singer in Dublin's pleasure gardens in the 1750s, had a musical career as soloist and entertainer that spanned almost a quarter of a century. Nothing is known of her parents or early history. Her first recorded…...
Barber (Barbor), Mary
Barber (Barbor), Mary (c.1685–1755), poet, was probably born in Ireland. The facts of her life are uncertain and little is known of her apart from references in the writings of her contemporaries. She married Rupert Barber, a woollen-draper of Werburgh St., Dublin. She…...
Barlow, Jane
Barlow, Jane (1856–1917), poet, novelist, and short story writer, was born 17 October 1856 in Dollymount, Dublin, the second child and eldest daughter of the Rev. James William Barlow (qv), history professor and subsequently vice-…...
Barnacle (Joyce), Nora
Barnacle (Joyce), Nora (1884–1951), was born 21/2 March 1884 in the maternity ward of Galway city workhouse (which then served as general hospital for Galway), second daughter (and child) of Thomas Barnacle, baker, and Annie Barnacle (née Healy), seamstress and dressmaker. After 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, Billie (Lillian)
Barry, Billie (Lillian) (1921–2014), performer and stage school founder, was born on 27 January 1921 in Drumcondra, Dublin, the youngest of fifteen children to John Clarke-Barry, orchestra leader and musician, and his wife Anne (née Hughes), an amateur operatic singer. The family were…...
Barry, Margaret (‘Maggie’)
Barry, Margaret (‘Maggie’) (1917–89), folk singer, was born 1 January 1917 in Peter Street, Cork city, one of five children of Timothy Cleary and his wife Mary or Margaret (née Thompson ); the family were travellers who had been loosely settled in the Cork city area for two…...
Barry, Moyra Aloysius
Barry, Moyra Aloysius (1886–1960), artist, was born in Dublin, eldest of eleven children of Bernard Barry, merchant, and Jane Barry (maiden name unknown), and was called ‘Mary’ by her parents. She was educated at Loreto Convent, North Great George's St., Dublin, before studying at…...
Barton, Mary (‘Molly’) Georgina
Barton, Mary (‘Molly’) Georgina (1861–1949) artist, was born 3 April 1861 at Dundalk, Co. Louth, second daughter (and youngest of seven children) of James Barton (qv), civil engineer, of Stillorgan Rd, Dublin, and Catherine Frances Barton…...
Barton, Rose
Barton, Rose (1856–1929), painter, was born 21 April 1856 in Dublin, the second daughter of Augustine Hugh Barton, a wealthy lawyer and country gentleman of Rochestown, Co Tipperary, and Emily Barton (formerly McCalmont, née Martin) of Ross, Co. Galway. Rose was a cousin of the…...
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…...
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…...
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…...
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…...
Bernelle, Agnes
Bernelle, Agnes (1923–99), singer and actress, was born Agnes Elizabeth Bernauer on 7 March 1923 in Berlin, Germany, daughter of Rudolph Bernauer (1880–1953), a Jewish-Hungarian actor, playwright, librettist, and theatrical director and impresario, and his second wife, Emmy (née Erb) (b…...
Best, Edith
Best, Edith (1865–1950), musician, was born 11 July 1865 in Dublin, youngest of fourteen children of Eldred Oldham , Dublin merchant, and Annie Oldham. Educated at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, she studied under Margaret O'Hea, winning the Lord O'Hagan's prize (1883). One of the…...