Boylan, Eugene
Boylan, Eugene (Richard Kevin) (1904–64), physicist, monk, and writer, was born 3 February 1904 in Bray, Co. Wicklow, and was baptised Richard Kevin Boylan, one of at least three sons and two daughters of Richard Joseph Boylan, manager of the Hibernian Bank, and Agnes Honoria…...
Boylan, Patrick Joseph
Boylan, Patrick Joseph (1879–1974), priest, biblical scholar, and Egyptologist, was born 2 December 1879 in Barrowhouse, near Athy, Co. Kildare, son of Patrick Boylan, a teacher at Shanganamore national school, and his wife Anne (née Walker), of Queen's County (Laois).…...
Brady, Hugh
Brady, Hugh (c.1600–1669), priest and jurist, was born at Castletara, Co. Cavan. Nothing is known of his parentage, or early life. He entered the University of Louvain on 18 December 1620 and read humanities in the College of the Most Holy Trinity. Two years later he…...
Brady, Joe
Brady, Joe (c. 1857–1883), Fenian and assassin, was born in Dublin, second of twenty sons and five daughters of Thomas Brady, a paviour of forty years standing with Dublin corporation. After serving an apprenticeship with Dublin corporation, Joe was employed by the corporation…...
Brady, Richard
Brady, Richard (d. 1607), catholic bishop of Ardagh and of Kilmore, was a member of the family of the Mac Bradaigh chiefs of Cuil Bhrighde, in Co. Cavan. He entered the Franciscan monastery in Cavan and eventually became the Franciscan provincial in Ireland (1573–6). On 23 January…...
Brady, William Maziere
Brady, William Maziere (1825–94), clergyman and historian, was born 8 January 1825 in Dublin, son of Sir Nicholas William Brady (1791–1843), manufacturer of gold and silver lace, of Willow Park and Killiney Park, Co. Dublin, and Catherine Anne Brady (d. 1839), daughter of Peter…...
Bray, Thomas
Bray, Thomas (1746/7–1820), catholic archbishop of Cashel, was born at Fethard, Co. Tipperary, son of John Bray, a wine merchant, and his wife Margaret, daughter of Pierce Power (d. 1717), who had owned property at Glashy, Co. Waterford. The name ‘Bray’ occurs nearby at Clonmel…...
Brazil, Dame Johanna
Brazil, Dame Johanna (Sister Mary Phillipa ) (1896–1988), Sister of Mercy, teacher, and nurse, was born 25 December 1896 in Kilfinane, Co. Limerick, daughter of Thomas Brazil, farmer, and Julia Brazil (née Devane). Educated at the local convent national school, she was one of a group…...
Brenan, John
Brenan, John (c.1625–1693), catholic archbishop of Cashel, was born in Kilkenny city and educated in the famous Jesuit School, formerly Peter White's Academy, the alma mater of Richard Stanihurst (qv),…...
Brenan, Martin
Brenan, Martin (1901–82), priest and academic, was born 23 August 1901 at Castlecomer, Co. Kilkenny, one of five children of John Brenan, a labourer, and Kate Brenan (née Butler). After studying at Maynooth College he was ordained a priest of the diocese of Kildare and Leighlin in…...
Brennan, Stan (Stanislaus)
Brennan, Stan (Stanislaus) (1929–2012), Franciscan missionary, was born James (Seamus) Brennan on 1 December 1929 at Carrowkeel, Co. Roscommon, the seventh of ten children born to James Brennan and his wife Kate (née O'Dowd) who were farmers. He was initially educated at the local…...
Bridgeman, Joanna (Sister Mary Francis)
Bridgeman, Joanna (Sister Mary Francis) (1813–88), Sister of Mercy, educator, and Crimean war nurse, was born in Ballagh, Ruan, Co. Clare, one of four children (two sons and two daughters) of St John Bridgeman and his wife Lucy Reddan. Her mother was a relative of…...
Brooke, Stopford Augustus
Brooke, Stopford Augustus (1832–1916), clergyman and author, was born 14 November 1832 at ‘Glendoen’, near Letterkenny, Co. Donegal, eldest of eight children of the Rev. Richard Sinclair Brooke, the local curate, and Anna Brooke (née Stopford). When his maternal grandfather and…...
Brown, David
Brown, David (c.1485–c.1559), Dominican priest and provincial, probably belonged to the Kerry branch of the Norman-Irish Brown family. The description of him as a distinguished filius of the Dominican priory of Tralee indicates that he entered the order…...
Browne, Francis Patrick Mary
Browne, Francis Patrick Mary (1880–1960), photographer and Jesuit priest, was born 3 January 1880 in Sunday's Well, Cork, youngest of eight children of James Browne, flour merchant and JP, and Brigid Browne (née Hegarty; 1840–80), who died…...
Browne, George
Browne, George (d. c.1556), archbishop of Dublin, began his career as an Augustinian friar, most probably in the early 1520s. An Englishman by birth, he remained a relatively obscure figure until, in 1532, he emerged as prior of the Augustinian friars’ London convent at…...
Browne, Henry Martyn
Browne, Henry Martyn (1853–1941), classicist and Jesuit priest, was born 7 August 1853 in Claughton, Woodchurch, Cheshire, England, the second of four sons and one daughter of John Wilson Browne, hardware merchant, born in Portugal (1824), and Jane Susan Browne (née McKnight), one…...
Browne, Mary Bonaventura
Browne, Mary Bonaventura (d. ante 1694), abbess and chronicler, was one of at least four children (two daughters and two sons) of Andrew Browne, a merchant of Galway city with substantial landholdings across Co. Galway. Her mother was probably Helen Lynch, the earlier of her…...
Browne, Maurice
Browne, Maurice (1892–1979), priest and novelist, was born in Grangemockler, Co. Tipperary, son of Maurice Browne, schoolteacher, and Catherine Browne (née Fitzgerald). Educated at Rockwell and then Clonliffe Colleges, he was ordained from Maynooth as a priest in the Dublin diocese in…...
Browne, Michael (David)
Browne, Michael (David) (1887–1971), Dominican and cardinal, was born 6 May 1887 at Grangemockler, Co. Tipperary, son of Maurice Browne and Catherine Browne (née Fitzgerald), and was christened David. He attended the local school, of which his father was headmaster, and later…...
Browne, Michael John
Browne, Michael John (1895–1980), catholic bishop of Galway, was born 20 December 1895 in Westport, Co. Mayo, fifth child of Michael Browne, draper, and Elizabeth Browne (née Higgins). Educated at CBS Westport, St Jarlath's College,…...
Browne, Robert
Browne, Robert (1844–1935), catholic bishop, was born probably 9 August 1844 in Charleville, Co. Cork, youngest of three sons of Robert Browne and Margaret Browne (née Mullins). Educated at St Colman's College, Fermoy, from 1859, he matriculated (1860) for St Patrick's College,…...
Brown, Ignatius
Brown, Ignatius (1630–79), Jesuit, was born on either 1 or 9 November 1630 in Co. Waterford, and by the late 1640s he was studying philosophy at Compostella in Spain. On 27 June 1651 he entered the Society of Jesus as a novice at Villagarcia before resuming his studies, this time…...
Brownrigg, Abraham
Brownrigg, Abraham (1836–1928), catholic bishop of Ossory, was born 23 December 1836 at Ballypierce, Clonegall, Co. Carlow, son of Isaac Brownrigg and his wife, Elizabeth (née Roche), who were said to have been ‘members of old and most respectable Wexford families’ (Carrigan).…...
Brown, Stephen James Meredith
Brown, Stephen James Meredith (1881–1962), Jesuit priest, bibliographer, and librarian, was born 24 September 1881 in Holywood, Co. Down, eldest of four children of Stephen James Brown (1853–1931), solicitor and JP, and Catharine Brown (…...