MacCarthy, Diarmuid
MacCarthy, Diarmuid (c.1570s–1621), founder of the Irish College, Bordeaux, was son of Sir Callaghan MacTeige MacCarthy, 15th Lord Muskerry, and his wife Ellen, daughter of James, Lord Barry. Little is known of his early life but he was probably educated in Douai and he…...
MacDonagh, Thomas
MacDonagh, Thomas (1878–1916), teacher, writer, and republican revolutionary, was born 1 February 1878 in Cloughjordan, Co. Tipperary, third child and eldest son among six surviving children (four sons and two daughters; three elder children had died in infancy) of Joseph MacDonagh (…...
MacGowran, Jack
MacGowran, Jack (1918–73), actor, was born 13 October 1918 in Ranelagh, Dublin, the only son among three children of Matthew MacGowran, a sporadically employed travelling salesman, and Gertrude MacGowran (née Shanahan). ‘Jackie’, as he was always known, was educated at the…...
MacHale, Joseph Patrick
MacHale, Joseph Patrick (1922–2005), university administrator and sportsman, was born 8 January 1922 in Dublin, sixth child and younger son of J. P. MacHale, a senior official with the Hibernian Insurance Company, and his wife Grace. Educated at CBS Dún Laoghaire (1930–32) and…...
Mackey, Rex
Mackey, Rex (1911–99), barrister, actor, and writer, was born Arthur Joseph Connel Mackey on 7 December 1911, the eldest of three sons and two daughters of Joseph Arthur Mackey of Liosnamara, Bray, Co. Wicklow, and his wife Gertrude (née Gallagher). Educated at Castleknock College…...
MacMahon, Bernard
MacMahon, Bernard (c.1736–1816), priest, scientist, and translator, was born at Castlering, Co. Louth, one of two brothers. He was educated locally and studied for the secular priesthood at Antwerp, presumably at the Irish College there. His name appears on the 1771 list…...
MacMahon, Bryan Michael
MacMahon, Bryan Michael (1909–98), writer and teacher, was born 29 September 1909 in Listowel, Co. Kerry, one of four children of Patrick MacMahon, clerk in a law office and later a butter-buyer and exporter, and Joanna MacMahon (née Caughlin), schoolteacher. From an early age…...
MacNamee, Pádraig
MacNamee, Pádraig (1896–1975), teacher, Irish-language enthusiast, and GAA official, was born 8 August 1896 in Carrigastickan, near Forkhill, Co. Armagh, one of four children (two sons and two daughters) of James MacNamee, farmer, and Brigid MacNamee (née McCann). Growing up in a partly…...
MacRory, Joseph
MacRory, Joseph (1861–1945), academic and catholic bishop, was born 18 March 1861 in Ballygawley, Co. Tyrone, one of ten children of Francis MacRory, farmer, and Rose MacRory (née Montague). He began his education at the local parish school and from an early age demonstrated an…...
MacSwiney, Patrick John
MacSwiney, Patrick John (1885–1940), catholic priest, Gaelic scholar, antiquarian, historian and teacher, was born on 16 March 1885 in 40 Nile Street (latterly Sheares Street), Cork city, the son of Terence McSweeney (b. 1847), a bootmaker, and his wife Hannah (née McCarthy; b. 1848…...
Madgett, Nicholas
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Madgett, Nicholas
Madgett, Nicholas (d. 1813), French official and translator, was born in Co. Kerry, probably in the early 1740s. He went to France (in or before 1760), studied for the catholic priesthood at the Irish College, Toulouse (licence and doctorat, 1764), was ordained…...
Magee, John ('Jack')
Magee, John ('Jack') (1914–93), historian and teacher, was born 11 December 1914 in Belfast, son of Francis Magee, a fireman and later an engine driver on the Great Northern Railway, and his wife Mary; he had at least one brother and a sister. His father was transferred to Clones, Co.…...
Magennis, William
Magennis, William (1867–1946), academic, politician, and proponent of censorship, was born 18 May 1867 in Kilmore, Co. Down, the second son of Hugh Magennis, painter, and his wife Catherine Magill. Educated at CBS Belfast and…...
Maguire, Thomas
Maguire, Thomas (1831–89), classicist and unionist, was born 24 January 1831 in Dublin, son of Thomas Maguire, a catholic businessman. He had two sisters, Eliza and Mary. Their father became a colonial magistrate in Mauritius, where Thomas junior, after education in Dublin, lived…...
Maher, Michael
Maher, Michael (1860–1918), Jesuit priest, philosopher, and psychologist, was born 29 April 1850 in Church St., Leighlinbridge, Co. Carlow. Educated at the school of Mr Conwell in Leighlinbridge, he later entered the Jesuit college at Tullabeg, King's Co., where his uncle, Fr…...
Maher, Fr Tommy
Maher, Fr Tommy (1922–2015), hurling coach, was born 25 April 1922, the youngest of eleven children of John Maher a smallholding farmer from Whitepark, near Gowran, Co. Kilkenny, and his wife Annie (née Fowler), also from Whitepark. Four of his siblings had died before he was born, two…...
Malone, James
Malone, James (d. 1721), printer and bookseller, was of obscure origin. A catholic, he was admitted free of the city of Dublin in 1672, and of the guild of stationers in 1676. He came to prominence under James II (qv); when the…...
Mangan, James Clarence
Mangan, James Clarence (1803–49), poet and translator, was probably born 1 May 1803 in Dublin, the second of five children of James Mangan (1765–1843) from Shanagolden, Co. Limerick, who may have been a hedge-school teacher, and Catherine (née Smith; 1771–1846), whose family owned…...
Martyn, Edward
Martyn, Edward (1859–1923), dramatist, patron of the arts and nationalist, was born 31 January 1859 at his mother's family home at Masonbrook, Loughrea, Co. Galway, elder of two sons of Anne Martyn (neé Smith; d. 1898) and John Martyn (d. 1860), a philanderer by repute, of Tulira Castle…...
McAnally, Ray
McAnally, Ray (1926–89), actor, was born 30 March 1926 in Buncrana, Co. Donegal, son of James William McAnally, bank manager, and Winifred McAnally (née Ward). He was educated at the national school in Moville, Co. Donegal, and St Eunan's College, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal. From the age…...
McCann, Donal Francis
McCann, Donal Francis (1943–99), actor, was born 7 May 1943 in the Stella Maris private nursing home, 17 Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin, one of two sons (his brother died young) and one daughter of John McCann (qv), journalist, politician, and…...
McCann, Michael Joseph
McCann, Michael Joseph (1820/24–1883), teacher, journalist, poet, and Young Irelander, was born in Galway. He received a private education before attending St Jarlath's diocesan college in Tuam, Co. Galway, where, on the recommendation of Archbishop…...
McCarthy, Michael Donald (‘Dónal Mac’)
McCarthy, Michael Donald (‘Dónal Mac’) (1908–80), statistician and university administrator, was born 4 June 1908 in Midleton, Co. Cork, son of Michael McCarthy, labourer, and Margaret McCarthy (née Murphy). His early education was at the CBS…...
McClory, Kevin O'Donovan
McClory, Kevin O'Donovan (1926–2006), film maker, was born in Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, on 8 June 1926, son of Thomas John O'Donovan McClory (stage name Desmond O'Donovan), from Banbridge, Co. Down, and his wife Winifred (née Doran) from Wexford. Both parents were actors in…...