Mooney, Canice
Mooney, Canice (1911–63) Franciscan priest, historian, and Irish language scholar, was born 13 February 1911 in Drumshambo, Co. Leitrim, one of eight children of publican, auctioneer and public representative Andrew Mooney and his wife Josephine Gaffney. He was christened Albert…...
Mooney, Donatus (Donagh)
Mooney, Donatus (Donagh) (1577–1624), Franciscan priest and historian, was born near Ballymore, Co. Donegal; nothing else is known of his family background. After a short military career in Donegal, he joined the Franciscan order c.October 1600. Before he could finish his…...
Morphy, Garret
Morphy, Garret (c.1655–1716?), portrait painter, was probably born and educated in Ireland. His familial origins are obscure. His earliest works, from c.1676, are similar in style to Gaspar Smitz, who was working in Ireland at this time. It is possible that…...
Morris, Frank
Morris, Frank (1928–70), sculptor, was born 8 November 1928 in Arklow, Co. Wicklow, son of Edward Morris, convert to catholicism and draughtsman with the civil service, and Catherine Morris (née Collins). The family moved to Dublin in the mid 1930s and lived at 93 Ranelagh Road…...
Mossop, William
Mossop, William (1751–1805), and his son William Stephen (1788–1827), engravers and designers of medals, were born in Dublin. William Mossop was born as William Browne; when he was a child, his father (a Roman catholic) died and his mother – after her second marriage to William Mossop (…...
Mulhall, Michael George
Mulhall, Michael George (1836–1900) writer and newspaper proprietor and editor, was born at 100 St Stephen's Green, Dublin, the sixth of the ten children (six boys and four girls) of Thomas Mulhall and Catherine Flood. His father, his uncle John B. Mulhall, and his elder brother…...
Mullooly, Joseph
Mullooly, Joseph (1812–80), Dominican priest and archaeologist, was born 19 March 1812 at Lanesborough, Co. Longford, the son of Gilbert Mullooly, farmer, and his wife Brigid (née Dowd). He went to Italy 1840, took the Dominican habit at La Quercia as a member of the Irish…...
Mulready, William
Mulready, William (1786–1863), painter, was born 1 April 1786 in Ennis, Co. Clare, the only son and only surviving child of Michael Mulready, maker of leather breeches. His mother's name remains unknown. In 1788 the family moved to Dublin, leaving soon afterwards for London, where…...
Mulrooney (Carbonneau), Belinda
Mulrooney (Carbonneau), Belinda (1872–1967), frontier entrepreneur, was born on 16 May 1872 (though her official birth certificate stated 10 June) in her maternal grandparents' 21-acre farm near Carns, Co. Sligo, the first child of one son and four daughters of John Mulrooney from Carra…...
Murphy, Denis
Murphy, Denis (1833–96), priest and historian, was born 12 January 1833 at Scarteen, near Newmarket, Co. Cork, the eldest son of Timothy Murphy and his wife Joanna (née O'Connell). He was educated at Mr Curran's school in Kanturk before attending Clongowes Wood College, Co.…...
Murphy, John
Murphy, John (c.1755–1832), engraver and educational publisher, was born in Cork city and reared in its northern suburbs, around Mallow Lane. At the age of seventeen he emigrated to London, led by his ‘predilection for the Fine Arts and a desire to cultivate an inclination for…...
Murphy, Seamus
Murphy, Seamus (1907–75), sculptor, was born 15 July 1907 at Greenhill, Burnfort, near Mallow, Co. Cork, one of five sons of James Murphy, engine driver, and Margaret Murphy (née Sheehan); four daughters died in infancy. While he was still a young child the family moved to Cork city…...
Murray, Laurence Patrick, ('Larry'), (Ó Muireadhaigh, Lorcán)
Murray, Laurence Patrick, ('Larry'), (Ó Muireadhaigh, Lorcán) (1883–1941), priest, historian and Irish-language activist, was born 8 June 1883 in Newry Street, Carlingford, Co. Louth, the eldest of seven surviving children (four sons and three daughters) of James Murray, a member of the…...
Niland, Nora
Niland, Nora (1912–88), Sligo county librarian and founder of the Sligo municipal art collection, was born 21 March 1912 in Galway, eighth child among six sons and three daughters of John Niland, of Ballinastack, Tuam, Co. Galway, railway worker and small farmer, and his wife Elizabeth…...
O'Brien, George Augustine Thomas
O'Brien, George Augustine Thomas (1892–1973), economic historian and economist, was born 26 January 1892 in Dublin, only child of Richard O'Brien (d. 1906), hotelier, by his second marriage, to Mary (née Dowse) (d. 1946), a native of Co. Wicklow. His father, a self-made…...
O'Brien, Richard Barry
O'Brien, Richard Barry (1847–1918), Irish nationalist biographer, historian, and publicist, was born 7 March 1847 in Kilrush, Co. Clare, third son of Patrick Barry O'Brien and Sarah O'Brien (née Hannan). In 1863 he went to Dublin, passing from the St Laurence O'Toole preparatory…...
Ó Broin, León
Ó Broin, León (1902–90), senior civil servant, historian, and author, was born Leo Byrne on 10 November 1902 at 21 Aungier Street, Dublin, the second of four sons of James P. Byrne, a potato factor's bookkeeper, and Mary Byrne (née Killeen), daughter of a seaman who abandoned his family…...
O'Byrne, Cathal
O'Byrne, Cathal (1876–1957), antiquarian, writer, and entertainer, may have been the Charles Burns born on 1 June 1876 in Kilkeel, Co. Down, the son of James Burns, a farmer, and his wife Isabella (née Arnett). O'Byrne's biographer states that his parents came from Co. Wicklow, which…...
O'Callaghan, John Cornelius
O'Callaghan, John Cornelius (1805–83), historian and journalist, was born in Talbot St, Dublin, one of at least six children of John O'Callaghan, a prosperous catholic attorney, originally from Ulster. O'Callaghan always attributed his literary tastes and interest in history to…...
Ó Cianáin, Tadhg
Ó Cianáin, Tadhg (d. 1610), chronicler of the flight of the earls, was from a learned Fermanagh family who were ollamhs in history to the Maguires of Fermanagh. Traditionally, the Ó Cianáins had their own chieftain and were based at Lisgoole on the shores of Lough Erne. One of the most…...
Ó Cléirigh, Cú Choigcríche (O'Clery, Peregrine)
Ó Cléirigh, Cú Choigcríche (O'Clery, Peregrine) (fl. 1630–62), one of the ‘four masters’, was from Baile Uí Chléirigh, Co. Donegal. His father, Diarmaid, might possibly be the Diarmaid son of An Cosnamhach found in an Ó Cléirigh genealogy, and/or the ‘Dermot O Clery’ pardoned…...
Ó Cléirigh, Mícheál (O'Clery, Michael)
Ó Cléirigh, Mícheál (O'Clery, Michael) (c.1590–1643), OFM, historian and scribe, chief of the ‘four masters’, was born into the learned family of Ó Cléirigh in Co. Donegal, fourth son of Donnchadh (son of Uilliam son of Tuathail) Ó Cléirigh and his wife Honora Ultach (Onora Ó…...
Ó Cléirigh (O'Clery), Lughaidh
Ó Cléirigh (O'Clery), Lughaidh (c.1580–a.1630?), historian and poet, was born in Co. Donegal, the eldest of the five sons of Maccon Ó Cléirigh (d. 1595), who was ‘Ollav to O'Donnell in history, an erudite and ingenious man, professed in history and poetry’ (AFM, vi,…...
O'Clery, (Patrick) Keyes
O'Clery, (Patrick) Keyes (1845?–1913), soldier, barrister, politician, and author, was born, probably in May 1845, at Darragh house, Kilfinnane, Co. Limerick, the only son of John Walsh O'Clery (The O'Clery ) and Elisa O'Clery (née O'Donoghue Keyes); some sources record his birth…...
Ó Conbhuidhe (Conway), Séamus (Colmcille)
Ó Conbhuidhe (Conway), Séamus (Colmcille) (1909–92), Irish-language scholar, poet and historian, was born James Conway on 26 September 1909 at 53 Gladstone Street, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, the eldest son of Patrick Joseph Conway, a paper merchant, and his wife Kate (née Dwyer). Patrick…...