Gogarty, James Martin
Gogarty, James Martin (1917–2005), civil engineer, building company executive, and anti-corruption whistle-blower, was born 20 May 1917 in Cannon Street, Kells, Co. Meath, son of Bernard Gogarty, a mason and small-scale building contractor, and his wife Mary (née Mooney). Educated in…...
Googe, Barnabe
Googe, Barnabe (c.1538–94), poet and translator, and provost-marshal to the presidency court in Connacht, was son of Robert Googe, recorder of Lincoln, and his wife Margaret, daughter of Sir Walter Mantell. He was born at Alvingham, Lincolnshire, and educated at Christ's…...
Goold, Vere Thomas St Leger
Goold, Vere Thomas St Leger (1853–1909), first notable Irish lawn tennis player, was born 2 October 1853 in Waterford, sixth son among seven children of George Ignatius Goold, justice of the peace and resident magistrate, and his wife Clara, daughter of Major General James Webber-Smith…...
Grant, Albert
Grant, Albert (1831–99), MP, financial promoter, and fraudster, was born Abraham Zachariah Gottheimer in Dublin, 18 November 1831, son of Bernard/ Berton Gottheimer, a Jewish immigrant from central Europe, who traded in fancy goods from his premises at 61 Fleet St., Dublin. While he…...
Grantham, John
Grantham, John (1775–1833), civil engineer, was probably born in or near Kirton, Lancashire, England, where he was baptised 28 November 1775, son of James and Martha Grantham; but little is known of his early life and career, except that he may have trained as a surveyor and appears…...
Graves, Arnold Felix
Graves, Arnold Felix (1847–1930), early promoter of technical education in Ireland, was born 17 November 1847 in Dublin, third son of Dr Charles Graves (qv), FTCD, later bishop of…...
Grierson (Crawley), Constantia
Grierson (Crawley), Constantia (c.1705–1732), editor, scholar, and one of Swift's female literary circle, was born Constantia Crawley in Graiguenamanagh, Co. Kilkenny, into a poor family. Little is known of her early life or education, save from the memoirs of her friend…...
Grierson, Sir George Abraham
Grierson, Sir George Abraham (1851–1941), member of the Indian Civil Service (ICS) and language scholar, was born 7 January 1851 in the parish of Monkstown near Dublin, eldest son of George Abraham Grierson, a TCD graduate and barrister…...
Griffith, Sir John Purser
Griffith, Sir John Purser (1848–1938), civil engineer, was born 5 October 1848 at Holyhead, north Wales, the only son of William Griffith (1801–81), Congregational minister, and Alicia Griffith (née Evans), a member of a leading Welsh Moravian family. John's elder sister died in…...
Grubb, Sir Howard
Grubb, Sir Howard (1844–1931), engineer and manufacturer of optical and astronomical instruments, was born 28 July 1844 in Dublin, youngest child among five sons and four daughters of Thomas Grubb (qv), optical engineer, and Sarah Grubb (…...
Grubb, Thomas
Grubb, Thomas (1800–78), engineer and maker of telescopes and optical instruments, was born 4 August 1800 near Portlaw, Co. Waterford, into a quaker family, youngest child among two sons and one daughter of William Grubb (d. 1831), farmer, and Eleanor Grubb (née Fayle), his second…...
Gulston ('Scott'), Peter Craig
Gulston ('Scott'), Peter Craig (1931–2013), thief, variously described as the 'king of the cat burglars' and 'the human fly', was born on 18 February 1931 in Belfast, the younger of two children, to Frederick Arnott Gulston, chief commercial traveller for White, Tompkins and Courage…...
Gwynn, John
Gwynn, John (1827–1917), clergyman and scholar, was born 28 August 1827 in Larne, Co. Antrim, eldest son among four sons and two daughters of the Rev. Stephen Gwynne, rector of Agherton, Co. Londonderry, and Mary Gwynne (née Stevens or Stevenson). Their mother drowned at…...
Haliday, William
Haliday, William (1788–1812), Irish–language scholar and linguist, was born at 32 Arran Quay, Dublin, eldest among four sons of Dr William Haliday, apothecary, originally of Carrick–on–Suir, Co. Tipperary. His father encouraged him to pursue law, and on his qualifying as a solicitor his…...
Halloran (O'Halloran), Laurence Hynes
Halloran (O'Halloran), Laurence Hynes (1765–1831), schoolmaster, clergyman, writer, and forger, was born 29 December 1765 in Co. Meath. Orphaned while still a young child, he was raised by his uncle, Judge William Gregory, before attending Westminster School. In 1785 he opened a…...
Halpin, George
Halpin, George (1774×1779–1854), civil engineer and lighthouse designer, was probably born in Leinster. Little is known of his life before his appointment (1800) by the ballast board (Dublin's port authority, which replaced the ballast office in 1786) as its engineer or inspector of…...
Halpin, Robert Charles
Halpin, Robert Charles (1836–94), sea captain, was born 16 February 1836 at Wicklow town, the youngest of thirteen children of James Halpin, tavern owner, and his wife, Anne Halpin (née Halbert). Educated locally at Leitrim Place, he left school at the age of eleven, with the…...
Hamilton, Charles
Hamilton, Charles (1753?–1792), orientalist, was born, probably in 1753, in Belfast, the only son of Charles Hamilton (although according to Alexander Gordon (1841–1931) his father was James Hamilton and his grandfather was Charles), merchant in Belfast, and Katherine Hamilton (née…...
Hanley, Ellie
Hanley, Ellie (1803–19), the ‘Colleen bawn ’, was born in Ballycahane, near Croom, Co. Limerick, daughter of Michael Hanley, farmer, and his first wife (née Connery). At 6 years old, she was adopted by her mother's brother, John Connery, ropemaker, also of Ballycahane. Connery's…...
Hare, William
This is a co-subject for the entry on Burke, William. View the original entry....
Havel, Miroslav ('Paddy')
Havel, Miroslav ('Paddy') (1922–2008), glass designer and craftsman, was born in Držkov, Czechoslovakia, on 26 May 1922, the only child of Frantisek Havel, costume jewellery manufacturer of Držkov, and his wife Anna (née Klubelova). He had a prosperous, somewhat sheltered, upbringing in…...
Hawkey, John
Hawkey, John (1703–59), schoolmaster and editor, may have been born in Cove, Devon, or East Looe, Cornwall, son of John Hawkey, gaoler. Nothing is known of his mother. After schooling from Mr Spare in Liskeard, Cornwall, he entered TCD…...
Hearn, Patrick Lafcadio
Hearn, Patrick Lafcadio (1850–1904), writer, translator, and journalist, was born 27 June 1850 on the island of Levkás (from which his middle name derived), Greece, second of three sons born to Charles Bush Hearn, an Irish officer-surgeon in the British army, and Rosa Antonia…...
Hemans, George Willoughby
Hemans, George Willoughby (1814–85), railway engineer, was born 27 August 1814 at Ryllon near St Asaph, north Wales, son of Capt. Alfred Hemans of the 4th (King's Own) Regiment and the poet Felicia Hemans (née Browne; 1794–1835) who were married in 1812. In 1818, after a short and…...
Henn, Thomas Rice
Henn, Thomas Rice (1901–74), scholar, was born 10 November 1901 at Albert House, Sligo, youngest among five children of Francis Blackburne Henn (1845–1915), barrister and resident magistrate, and his wife, Helen (1857–1936), daughter of Col. Francis Gore of Woodlawn, Co. Clare. The Henn…...