Birch, Peter
Birch, Peter (1911–81), catholic bishop of Ossory, was born 4 September 1911 in Tullowglass, Co. Kilkenny, eldest child of Martin Birch, farmer, and Alice Birch (née Downey). Educated at Clinstown national school and St Kieran's College, Kilkenny, he entered St Patrick's College,…...
Birch, Thomas Ledlie
Birch, Thomas Ledlie (1754–1828), radical and presbyterian minister, was born at Birch Grove, Gilford, Co. Down, youngest among nine children of John Birch, a large farmer and officer in the Down militia, and his wife Jane, daughter of John Ledlie of Arboe, Co. Tyrone, a prosperous…...
Blachford, Theodosia
Blachford, Theodosia (1744–1817?), philanthropist and leading methodist, was born at her father's residence in Rosanna, Co. Wicklow, only daughter of William Tighe (qv), landowner and MP, and Lady Mary Tighe of Rathmore, Co. Meath,…...
Blackham, Dorothy Isabel
Blackham, Dorothy Isabel (1896–1975), artist and teacher, was born 1 March 1896 in 4 Beechwood Rd, Rathmines, Dublin, daughter of Charles H. Blackham, chief cashier at Kingsbridge railway terminus, and Jane Ruthven Blackham (née Lowry) of Killyleagh, Co. Down. She was related on her…...
Blackley, William Lewery
Blackley, William Lewery (1830–1902), clergyman, social reformer, and linguist, was born 30 December 1830 at Dundalk, Co. Louth, second son of Travers Robert Blackley, physician, and Eliza Blackley (née Lewery). From 1843 to 1845 he was educated in Brussels by Dr Carl Martin…...
Black, Robert
Black, Robert (1752–1817), presbyterian minister, was eldest son of Valentine Black, farmer, of Mullabrack, Co. Armagh. Educated at Glasgow University, he graduated MA in 1772. He was licensed by the presbytery of Armagh in 1776 and ordained in…...
Blackshaw, Basil
Blackshaw, Basil (1932–2016), artist, was born on 20 July 1932 in Glengormley, Co. Antrim, the youngest of seven surviving children of Samson (Sam) Blackshaw, a groom and gamekeeper from England, and his wife Edith (née Clayton), the daughter of a gamekeeper, from Coalisland, Co.…...
Blair, Robert
Blair, Robert (1593–1666), presbyterian minister and a founding father of Irish presbyterianism, was born in Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland, fourth son of John Blair of Windyedge, merchant adventurer, and Beatrix Blair (née Muir). He graduated MA…...
Blake, Anthony
Blake, Anthony (1704?–87), catholic archbishop of Armagh (1758–87), was the younger of two sons of Andrew Blake, landowner, of Kilvine, Co. Mayo. Educated first at Saint-Omer and then at Louvain, he returned to Ireland about 1731 and was appointed priest to the diocese of Tuam,…...
Blake, Edith
Blake, Edith (1845–1926), botanical illustrator and writer, was born in Newtown Anner, near Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, eldest daughter of the heiress Catherine Isabella Osborne (1819–80) of Newtown Anner, and Ralph Bernal Osborne (qv), (…...
Blakely, Fletcher
Blakely, Fletcher (1783–1862), presbyterian minister, was born 13 May 1783 at Ballyroney, Co. Down, youngest son of Joseph Bleakly, farmer, and was named after the Rev. William Fletcher, the presbyterian minister at Ballyroney. Both his parents died when he was very young; nothing…...
Blake, Michael
Blake, Michael (1775–1860), catholic clergyman, was born 16 July 1775 in Arran Quay parish, Dublin, eldest among six children (two sons and four daughters) of George Blake, originally of Nobber, Co. Meath, and Catherine Blake. He was educated in Dublin under the care of Dr…...
Blathmac
Blathmac ( fl. 8th cent.), poet and author of devotional poems on the Passion of Christ and on the Virgin Mary, was son of Cú Brettan son of Congus (d. 740), who may have been king of the Fir Rois, a sept of the Airgialla located in the present counties Louth and…...
Blathmac
Blathmac (d. 825), son of Flann, prior or acting abbot of Iona, was guardian of the relics of Colum Cille (qv) during the absence of the abbot, Diarmait, and was murdered by the vikings. According to Walafrid Strabo's ‘Vita…...
Blease, William John ('Billy')
Blease, William John ('Billy') (1914–2008), Baron Blease of Cromac, trade unionist and politician, was born 28 May 1914 in Gosford Street, off the Ormeau Road, Belfast, eldest of three sons and one daughter of William John Blease (1886–1954), restaurant chef and trade-union activist,…...
Blomfield, Sara Louisa
Blomfield, Sara Louisa , Lady (1859–1939), Bahá'í pioneer and humanitarian, was born in Knockanevin, Borrisoleigh, near Thurles, Co. Tipperary, the daughter of Matthew (Matthias) John Ryan and his wife Emily (née Crowe). Religious tension between her catholic father and anglo-…...
Blond, Marcus Joseph
Blond, Marcus Joseph (c.1865–1905), president of the Limerick Jewish community, was a native of Wexna, Lithuania. Ordained a rabbi in his teens, he settled (1880s) in Limerick city, where he established a grocery business. He appears in the 1901 census as ‘Marcus Jacob Blonde’…...
Blowick, John
Blowick, John (1889–1972), missionary priest and theologian, was born 26 October 1888 in Belcarra, Co. Mayo, eldest son of John Blowick, farmer, and Honoria Blowick (née Madden). He had one sister and two younger brothers. John was educated at Westport…...
Bodkin (Bodekin, Bodikin), Christopher
Bodkin (Bodekin, Bodikin), Christopher (c.1505–1572), catholic and Church of Ireland archbishop of Tuam, was born in Galway, the son of John Bodkin, mayor of Galway in 1518. Said to have been educated at Oxford, he was provided to the see of Kilmacduagh 3 September 1533…...
Bodkin, Matthias McDonnell
This is a co-subject for the entry on Bodkin, Matthias McDonnell. View the original entry....
Bodkin, Thomas
Bodkin, Thomas (1887–1961), art historian, was born in Dublin 21 July 1887, eldest of six children of Matthias McDonnell Bodkin (qv) and Arabella Bodkin (née Norman) of Dublin. Educated at Belvedere College, Clongowes Wood…...
Boisil
Boisil (d. c.660), abbot of Melrose, Roxburghshire, Scotland, was a successor of the Columban mission to Scotland and Northumbria. Bede (‘Historia ecclesiastica’, iv, 27) describes him as ‘a priest of great virtues, endowed with the spirit of prophecy’. He became the…...
Bole (Bull), John
Bole (Bull), John (a.1425–1471), OSA, abbot of Navan, archbishop of Armagh, was the only archbishop of Armagh in the fifteenth century not to attend university. Little is known of his life before his provision to Armagh beyond the fact that he served as abbot of Navan for…...
Bolster, Angela
Bolster, Angela (1925–2005), historian and nun, was born Evelyn Bolster in Mallow, Co. Cork, on 1 April 1925, only daughter of Michael Bolster, railway employee, and his wife Ellen (née Buckley). She had three brothers of whom James remained in Mallow and Pearse became a priest and…...
Bolton, Theophilus
Bolton, Theophilus (c.1678–1744), archbishop and benefactor, was born in Borisool, Co. Mayo, and graduated BA (1698), MA (1701), BD and…...