Beale, Abraham
Beale, Abraham (1793–1847), ironmonger and philanthropist, was born 16 August 1793 in Cork, into a quaker family, second of five sons and four daughters of Thomas Beale and Elizabeth Beale (née Abell). He was educated at the Friends' Provincial School, Newtown, Co. Waterford. He…...
Beale, James
Beale, James (1798–1879), entrepreneur in Cork, was a member of a prominent quaker family that included Abraham Beale (qv) who established an ironworks at Monard, Co. Cork, and may have been James's brother; if so, his parents were…...
Beamish, Francis Bernard
Beamish, Francis Bernard (1802–68), politician and brewer, was born 5 April 1802, eighth son among twelve children of William Beamish (qv), founder of the Beamish & Crawford porter brewery, and his wife Anne, daughter of Robert…...
Beamish, William
Beamish, William (1760–1828), merchant and landowner, was born 10 May 1760, third son of William Beamish (d. 1772), captain RN, of Willsgrove, Co. Cork, and Alice Beamish (née Bernard; d. 1792) of Castle Bernard, Co. Cork. He entered the navy like…...
Beaumont (McGavock), Máirín (Mary)
Beaumont (McGavock), Máirín (Mary) (1894–1972), teacher and nationalist, was born 7 December 1894 in Glenarm, Co. Antrim, one of the four daughters of William McGavock, a merchant, and Annie McGavock , a sister of Eoin MacNeill (qv).…...
Beckett, James Walter
Beckett, James Walter (1875–1938), building contractor and politician, was born 5 August 1875 in Dublin, son of James Beckett, building contractor, of Riverside, Sandymount, and Fannie Beckett, daughter of Roger Horner of 138 Leinster Rd, Rathmines. Among nine children he was the…...
Beirne, Bryan Patrick
Beirne, Bryan Patrick (1918–98), entomologist and pest control expert, was born 22 January 1918 in Ballygeary, Co. Wexford, the elder son of Patrick Beirne, tax inspector with UK Customs and Excise and later the Irish Revenue Commissioners, and his wife Mabel, daughter of…...
Bellew (Bedlowe), James
Bellew (Bedlowe), James (d. 1606), merchant and mayor of Dublin, was the son of John Bellew and Anne, daughter of Edward Dowdall, of Co. Louth. Most likely he was born in Louth, but by 1560 he had moved to Dublin. A wealthy merchant trading with Spain, he was very active in…...
Belton, Andrew
Belton, Andrew (1882–1970), OBE, soldier, adventurer, and businessman, was born 17 April 1882 in Cleator Moor, Cumberland, son of John and Susannah Belton of Bowthorn Road, Cleator Moor. Educated locally at St Patrick…...
Belton, Paddy
Belton, Paddy (1926–87), politician and businessman, was born Patrick Fitzgibbon Belton on 26 June 1926 at 5 Mount Street Crescent, Dublin, the third of four sons of Patrick Belton (qv) and his wife Mary (née Fitzgibbon). His father, a…...
Belton, Patrick
Belton, Patrick (1884–1945), revolutionary, politician, and businessman, was born 7 November 1884, youngest of seven children of Richard Belton, farmer, and Mary Belton (née Rhatigan), of Rathcline, Lanesborough, Co. Longford. Educated at McKenna's School, he joined the civil service in…...
Bender, Philipp Philip Phineas
Bender, Philipp Philip Phineas (c.1831–1901), Jewish minister and teacher, was born in Germany, and moved (c.1851) to Hull, England, where he was appointed minister to the Jewish community. He settled (1862) in Dublin and was appointed (1863–81) a preacher at…...
Benn, George
Benn, George (1801–82), businessman and historian of Belfast, was born on 1 January 1801 at Tandragee, Co. Armagh, the youngest son in the family of four sons and five daughters of John Benn (1767–1853), a Belfast brewer, and his wife Elizabeth (d. 1859), daughter of James Craig…...
Benson, Charles William
Benson, Charles William (1836–1919), clergyman and schoolmaster, was born 12 July 1836, eldest son of Dr John Benson of Castlecomer, Co. Kilkenny, and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Capt. Fitzgerald, RN, of Waterford. Educated at Dr Price's school…...
Benson, Ernest Edmondson
Benson, Ernest Edmondson (1898–1975), businessman and politician, was born 5 October 1898 in Dublin, second child of Robert Benson, company director, and Bessie Benson (née Hulme), quakers. The family lived at 3 Orwell Rd, Rathgar, Dublin. His maternal grandfather was a draper and…...
Benson, Peter
Benson, Peter (c.1570–1642), builder, was born in London, son of John Benson. He had three brothers and three sisters; one died of plague. A London bricklayer, he was selected in 1614 to build the walls of Derry, and also supervised the building of houses in the city. The…...
Beresford, John Claudius
Beresford, John Claudius (1766–1846), politician and banker, was born 23 October 1766 in Dublin, third son among nine children of John Beresford (qv), commissioner of revenue and son of Marcus Beresford (1694–1763), 1st earl of Tyrone…...
Bergin, Liam Diarmuid
Bergin, Liam Diarmuid (1913–94), newspaper proprietor and editor, was born 15 August 1913 at Athy Road, Carlow town, son of Patrick C. Bergin, publican and merchant, and Kathleen Bergin (née Conlan). Educated at Newbridge College boarding school, he joined the Nationalist and…...
Berkeley, George
Berkeley, George (1685–1753), philosopher and Church of Ireland bishop of Cloyne, was born 12 March 1685 in or near Kilkenny city, and spent his childhood at Dysart Castle, Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny. Little is known of his parents other than that his father, William Berkeley, came to…...
Bernard, Agnes Morrogh (Mother Mary Arsenius)
Bernard, Agnes Morrogh (Mother Mary Arsenius) (1842–1932), nun, teacher, and founder of Providence Mill, Foxford, Co. Mayo, was born 24 February 1842 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, the eldest child of John Morrogh , of a prominent catholic family from Glanmire, Cork, and Frances…...
Bernard, John Henry
Bernard, John Henry (1860–1927), Church of Ireland archbishop of Dublin and provost of TCD, was born 27 July 1860 at Sooree, Bengal, India, eldest among three children of William Frederick Bernard, assistant engineer to the east Indian…...
Berwick, Edward
This is a co-subject for the entry on Berwick, Edward. View the original entry....
Beshoff, Ivan
Beshoff, Ivan (1882?–1987), Russian immigrant and purveyor of fish and chips, was said in obituaries in the Irish Times and elsewhere to have been born in 1882 (or perhaps 1884) at Dacha Rurey, near Odessa in Ukraine, son of a magistrate, and, after briefly studying chemistry,…...
Besson, Kenneth George
Besson, Kenneth George (1915–81), hotelier, was born 25 July 1915 in Dublin, youngest of three children of Paul George Besson (born in London to a Swiss father and a French mother), hotelier, and Joan Besson (née McLean Stewart). Having served his time in London hotels, Paul Besson…...
Betagh, Thomas
Betagh, Thomas (1738–1811), Jesuit priest and educator, was born in May 1738 in Kells, Co. Meath, into a family of tanners whose ancestors had lost their estates in the Cromwellian confiscation. He received his early education at Kells, but was enrolled in the Jesuit academy in…...