Crawford, William
Crawford, William (1843–1926), methodist minister and principal of Wesley College, was born 17 April 1843, son of William Crawford, a civil servant in Dublin Castle; no details of his mother are known. Educated at Wesleyan Connexional School (1850–59), he entered…...
Crean, Thomas Joseph
Crean, Thomas Joseph (1873–1923), rugby player, military doctor, and VC holder, was born 19 April 1873 in Morrison's Hotel, Dawson Street, Dublin, the second son and fifth of the eight children of Michael Theobald Crean, barrister of the Irish land commission, and his wife, Emma,…...
Cregan, Donal Francis
Cregan, Donal Francis (1911–95), priest, educationist, and historian, was born 16 May 1911 in Newcastlewest, Co. Limerick, only son among three children of John D. Cregan, shopkeeper, and Elizabeth Cregan (née Foley). He attended (1924–9) Castleknock College, Dublin, after which…...
Crosbie, Patrick (‘Paddy’)
Crosbie, Patrick (‘Paddy’) (1913–82), teacher, humorist, and broadcaster, was born 1 October 1917 at 12A Bridewell Lane, Dublin, third among three sons and one daughter of Martin Crosbie, foreman-fitter, and Elizabeth (Lily) Crosbie (née Corcoran). He was educated at Stanhope St.…...
Crosby, Sir Piers
Crosby, Sir Piers (1590–1646), courtier and army officer, was the son of Patrick Crosby (Mac an Chrosain) and his wife Catherine, probably an only son with one sister. In 1611 he inherited the property accumulated by his father in Queen's County and Kerry, but disputes over his…...
Crotty, Bartholomew
Crotty, Bartholomew (1769–1846), college head and catholic bishop of Cloyne, was born 1 September 1769 at Clonakilty, Co. Cork, son of a prosperous weaver; nothing else is known of his family. He was educated locally and at a classical school at Glanworth, Co. Cork, from which,…...
Crowley, Mary Frances
Crowley, Mary Frances (1906–90), nurse and educator, was born 1 August 1906 at 12 William Street, Wexford town, the home of her maternal grandparents, James Williams, a retired lighthouse keeper, and his wife Margaret. Mary was the eldest of six children born to John Crowley, a…...
Cuming, James
Cuming, James (1833–99), medical professor in QCB, was born in Markethill, Co. Armagh, son of Edward Cuming, a prosperous catholic merchant in coal, spirits, and foodstuffs, who had at least two other children, a daughter and another son, who became a barrister. James's mother's name is…...
Curtis, Maeve
Curtis, Maeve (1911–71), journalist and teacher, was born Alice Margaret, 7 August 1911, at West Teebane, Co. Tyrone, fifth child of four daughters and one son of John Curtis and his wife Alice Geown, both from Tyrone. Her father was a farmer-builder. Her mother died when she was…...
Curtis, Patrick
Curtis, Patrick (1747/8–1832), college head and catholic archbishop of Armagh, was born either at Drogheda, Co. Louth, or at his family's home at Stamullen, Co. Meath. He attended the classical school at Stamullen and, after a short time in trade, took up ecclesiastical studies in…...
Cusack, George
Cusack, George (d. 1677), army officer, was from a landed family in the Pale, and was the brother of Christopher Cusack of Donore, Co. Meath. He held the rank of captain in the confederate Leinster army of General Thomas Preston (qv),…...
Darlington, Joseph
Darlington, Joseph (1850–1939), Jesuit and academic, was born 5 November 1850 in Wigan, Lancashire, second son of Ralph Darlington (occupation unknown). He matriculated at Brasenose College, Oxford (2 December 1869) and graduated BA (1874)…...
Dease, Maurice James
Dease, Maurice James (1889–1914), soldier, first VC of the first world war, was born 28 September 1889, only son of Edmund Fitzlaurence Dease, JP, of Coole, Co. Westmeath, and Katherine Dease (née Murray…...
Deasy, Rickard
Deasy, Rickard (1916–99), army officer and a founder of the National Farmers’ Association, was born 13 March 1916 in Leeson St., Dublin, the youngest of three children (one son and two daughters) of Major Henry Hugh Peter Deasy, car manufacturer, explorer and son of the Clonakilty…...
Deasy, Timothy
Deasy, Timothy (1838/41–1880), soldier, Fenian, and politician, was born in Clonakilty, Co. Cork. During 1847 his family emigrated to Boston, Massachusetts, and settled in the nearby city of Lawrence, in a district dominated by Irish immigrants. He may have completed an…...
De Brún, Pádraig (Browne, Patrick)
De Brún, Pádraig (Browne, Patrick) (1889–1960), priest, scholar, and academic administrator, was born 13 October 1889 in Grangemockler, Co. Tipperary, third child and second son among four sons and two daughters of Maurice Browne (1844–1911), a national school teacher from Cappoquin, Co…...
Deegan, Columbanus
Deegan, Columbanus (1925–2007), war veteran and Franciscan friar, was born John Joseph Deegan on 4 April 1925 at 23 Usher's Island on Dublin's south quays, one of three boys of James Deegan, a labourer, and his wife Annie Deegan (formerly Finnegan; née Quinn). Known in his youth as…...
De Lacey, Lawrence (Larry)
De Lacey, Lawrence (Larry) (1885–1973), revolutionary and journalist, was born on 18 March 1885 in Oulart, Co. Wexford, the youngest of three sons and one daughter of Lawrence Lacey, a local farmer, and his wife Mary (née Brien). Born Lawrence Lacey , he styled himself de Lacey in…...
De Lacy, Hugh
De Lacy, Hugh (1916–2010), educationalist, was born Laurence Hugh de Lacey on 2 June 1916 in San Francisco, the elder of two sons of Laurence (Larry) de Lacey (qv) (the spelling Lacy was later adopted by Hugh), a journalist and…...
Delany, William
Delany, William (1835–1924), Jesuit and president of UCD, was born 4 June 1835 at Leighlinbridge, Co. Carlow, second of ten children (of whom five survived) born to John Delany and Mary Delany (née Brennan). As with many Irish catholic families of farming stock, there was an…...
Derry, Valentine
Derry, Valentine (b. c.1760–d. p.1806), United Irishman, soldier, and teacher. Nothing is known about his early life. His brother was Father Edmund Derry (c.1747–1819), parish priest of Clonduff and later catholic bishop of Dromore (1801–19). Valentine…...
De Valera, Éamon (‘Dev’)
De Valera, Éamon (‘Dev’) (1882–1975), teacher, revolutionary, taoiseach, and president of Ireland, was born 14 October 1882 in the Nursery and Child's Hospital, Lexington Avenue, Manhattan, New York, the only child of Juan Vivion de Valera and Catherine (‘Kate’) Coll (1856–1932); he was…...
De Valera, Sinéad
De Valera, Sinéad (1875–1975), teacher, folklorist, and writer, was born Jane Flanagan , 1 June 1875, in Ballbriggan, Co. Dublin, one of three daughters and four children of Laurence Flanagan, a carpenter, and Margaret Flanagan (née Byrne). When she was seven the family moved to Munster…...
Devenish, John James
Devenish, John James (c. 1669–1739), military officer, was born to William Devenish of Curraghnegoole, near Strokestown, Co. Roscommon, and his wife Eleanor (née O’Conor Roe) of nearby Cloonfree, near Strokestown. His grandfather was George Devenish, a catholic Dublin merchant…...
Devereux (D'Evereux, Devereaux), John
Devereux (D'Evereux, Devereaux), John (1778?–1860), soldier and adventurer, was born in Co. Wexford, son of a prominent catholic landowner, probably William Devereux of Taghmon, Co. Wexford. He and his father may have been United Irishmen: they certainly took part in the 1798…...