O'Farrell, Patrick James
O'Farrell, Patrick James (1933–2003), historian, was born on 17 September 1933 in Greymouth, a small port in the Westland province of the South Island of New Zealand, youngest child of Patrick Vincent ('Paddy') O'Farrell (originally Farrell), tailor and labour activist, and his wife…...
O'Ferrall, Richard
O'Ferrall, Richard (d. 1663), Capuchin friar and author of Commentarius Rinuccinianus, was born Barnabas O'Ferrall in Annaly, Co. Longford. In 1630 he went to Flanders in the company of Father Francis Nugent (qv) of Co.…...
Ó Fiaich, Tomás
Ó Fiaich, Tomás (1923–90), cardinal archbishop of Armagh, was born 3 November 1923 at Anamar, Cullyhanna, Co. Armagh, as Thomas James Fee, second son of Patrick Fee (1882–1964) and Annie Fee (née Carragher; d. 1932). Both parents taught at Cregganduff public elementary school: his…...
O'Flaherty, Roderick (Ó Flaithbheartaigh, Ruaidhrí)
O'Flaherty, Roderick (Ó Flaithbheartaigh, Ruaidhrí) (1629–1718), historiographer, was born in late 1629 at Moycullen, Co. Galway, to Hugh O'Flaherty, proprietor of the castle and manor of Moycullen, and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Alderman Martin Darcy of Galway city and a…...
O'Flaherty, Stephen
O'Flaherty, Stephen (1902–82), motor factor, was born 23 January 1902 in Passage East, Co. Waterford, second son of Patrick O'Flaherty, farmer, of Passage East, Co. Waterford, and Kate O'Flaherty (neé O'Dywer), from Limerick. He was educated at the local national school and the…...
O'Flanagan, James Roderick
O'Flanagan, James Roderick (1814–1900), lawyer and writer, was born at Fermoy, Co.Cork, on 1 September 1814, son of Captain John Fitch O'Flanagan of the Dunshaughlin yeomanry, a catholic gentleman farmer, protégé of Lord Fingall, and barracks master of Fermoy (1808–48), and his…...
O'Gorman, Thomas (‘The Chevalier’)
O'Gorman, Thomas (‘The Chevalier’) (1732–1809), officer in French service, scholar, and entrepreneur, was by his own account born 16 September 1732 at Castletown, Co. Clare, son of Matthew O'Gorman (or MacGorman) and his wife Margaret, daughter of Donough O'Loughlin of Castletown…...
O'Halloran, Michael Joseph
O'Halloran, Michael Joseph (1933–99), railwayman and politician, was born 20 August 1933 in Doonbeg, Co. Clare, son of Martin O'Halloran, railwayman. He was educated at Clohanes national school up to the age of 14, when he left to work on the railways in London. He became an active…...
O'Halloran, Sylvester
O'Halloran, Sylvester (1728–1807), surgeon and historian, was born 31 December 1728 at Caherdavin, Co. Clare, third son of Michael O'Halloran, a prosperous catholic farmer, and Mary O'Halloran (née McDonnell). His brothers were Joseph Ignatius, later a member of the Society of Jesus,…...
O'Hanlon, John (‘Lageniensis’)
O'Hanlon, John (‘Lageniensis’) (1821–1905), priest, hagiologist, historian, folklorist, and poet, was born 30 April 1821 in Stradbally, Queen's County (Laois), son of Edward Hanlon (d. early 1840s), who probably owned a tanyard in the town, and Honora Hanlon (1793/4–1887). He was…...
O'Hart, John
O'Hart, John (1824–1902), teacher and genealogist, was born in December 1824 into an Irish-speaking family in Crossmolina, Co. Mayo, fifth and longest surviving among six sons of Shane (John) O'Hart and Nora O'Hart (née Geraghty) from the nearby parish of Glenhest. Of his four sisters,…...
O'Hegarty, Patrick Sarsfield (‘P. S.’)
O'Hegarty, Patrick Sarsfield (‘P. S.’) (1879–1955), revolutionary, writer, and civil servant, was born 29 December 1879 at Carrignavar, Co. Cork, son of John Hegarty, plaster and stucco worker, and Katherine Hegarty (née Hallanan), who came of west Cork farming stock, as did…...
O'Heyne, John
O'Heyne, John (c.1648–1713), Dominican priest and historian, was born near Athenry; his writings, curiously, do not mention his own parentage. He was the great-nephew on his father's side of Dominic Burke (qv)…...
Ó hUadhaigh, Seán
Ó hUadhaigh, Seán (1886–1959), solicitor, republican, Irish-language enthusiast and aviation pioneer, was born John Kirwan Woods 20 May 1886 in 2 Brookline, Terenure Road, Dublin, son of Robert Hewitt Woods (d. 1891), barrister, originally from Co. Down, and Mary Katherine Woods (née…...
O'Kelly, Michael Joseph (‘Brian’)
O'Kelly, Michael Joseph (‘Brian’) (1915–82), archaeologist, was born 5 November 1915 in Springmount, Abbeyfeale, Co. Limerick, son of Joseph O'Kelly, a national school teacher, and Elizabeth O'Kelly (née McAuliffe). After receiving secondary education at Rockwell college, Co.…...
O'Leary, Daniel Florence
O'Leary, Daniel Florence (1801–54), soldier, historian, and diplomat, was born in February 1801 in 89/90 Barrack St., Cork, eighth of ten children of Jeremiah O'Leary, butter merchant, and his wife, Catherine O'Leary (not related), both natives of Cork. In Europe in 1816…...
Ó Lúing, Seán
Ó Lúing, Seán (1917–2000), translator and author, was born 16 May 1917 in Ballyferriter, Co. Kerry, youngest among three sons of Séamas Ó Lúing, farmer, and his wife, whose maiden name was Ní Mhainnín. Seán was brought up bilingually and received his earliest education in the local…...
O'Mahoney, Katharine Aloysia O'Keeffe
O'Mahoney, Katharine Aloysia O'Keeffe (1851–1908), editor, educator, and writer, was born in Co. Kilkenny, daughter of Patrick O'Keeffe (b. 1803) and his wife Rose (b. 1824; maiden name unknown). The O'Keeffes emigrated to Methuen, Massachusetts, USA, c.1851 when she was ten…...
O'Mahony, Conor
O'Mahony, Conor (1594–1656), Jesuit academic and author, was a native of Muskerry, west Co. Cork. Little of his early life is known until his entrance into the Irish College at Seville, probably in 1614, where he studied philosophy and theology for three and four years…...
O'Mahony, Eoin Seosamh
O'Mahony, Eoin Seosamh (‘Pope ’) (1904–70), barrister, genealogist, journalist, and broadcaster, was born in Monkstown in Cork on 22 March 1904, the only surviving son of Daniel O'Mahony, city analyst for Cork, and his wife (and cousin), Julia O'Keeffe. He was at school in Cork at…...
Ó Maolchonaire, Fearfeasa
Ó Maolchonaire, Fearfeasa (fl. 1630–46), one of the Four Masters, son of Lochlainn, was from the group of townlands in Co. Roscommon called Baile Uí Mhaolchonaire (see the writers' prefaces to the works of the ‘four masters’). His father may be the ‘Loughlin O'…...
Ó Meallàin, Toirdhealbhach (alias Feardorcha?)
Ó Meallàin, Toirdhealbhach (alias Feardorcha?) (Turlough O'Mallon) (fl. 1640s–1650s), Gaelic annalist and poet, was a Franciscan priest in the small friary at Gort Tamlacht na Muc in the Brantry district of Co. Tyrone during the early 1640s. The Ó Mealláins had been a prominent…...
O'Meara, Kathleen
O'Meara, Kathleen (1839–88), novelist and biographer, was born in Dublin, the daughter of Den[n]is O'Meara of Tipperary. When she was about five, she moved with her parents to France, where they had connections: a grandfather, Barry…...
O'Neill, Thomas Patrick
O'Neill, Thomas Patrick (1921–96), historian, was born 1 November 1921 in Ballon, Co. Carlow, the son of Thomas O'Neill, a farmer, and his wife, Anna Maria (née Murphy); he had two brothers, John and Maurice. He was educated in the local national school, at Knockbeg College, and at…...
O'Rourke, John
O'Rourke, John (1809–87), priest and historian, may have come from a farming background and appears to have had some knowledge of Irish; some of his passing remarks refer to personal memories of the bitter hostility felt towards agents and bailiffs and a sense, instilled in the…...