Crooke, Mary
Crooke, Mary (fl. 1657–92), printer and bookseller, was the daughter of Edmond Tooke , London haberdasher. She married John Crooke (qv) (d. 1669), king's printer in Ireland. On his death, her brother Benjamin Tooke (d. 1716…...
Cross, Richard
Cross, Richard (1730s?–1809), bookseller, printer, and publisher, son of Michael Cross, was apprenticed to David Gibson (1750) and, being a catholic, admitted to the Dublin stationers’ guild only as a quarter brother (1758). Establishing himself in Bridge St., Dublin, where he…...
Crowe, Eileen (Alice Izabella)
Crowe, Eileen (Alice Izabella) (1899–1978), actress, was born 2 March 1899 at 1 Carlingford Terrace, Drumcondra, Dublin, daughter of Moses Crowe, grocer, and Theresa Crowe (née Eglinton). From an early age she showed an interest in the theatre, and regularly attended productions…...
Cruise, Jack (John Joseph)
Cruise, Jack (John Joseph) (1913–79), entertainer, was born 9 August 1913 in the family home at 14 Arranmore Avenue, Phibsborough, Dublin, third child and eldest son among four children of Michael Cruise, a hall porter, native of Essex, England, and Brigid Cruise (née O'Kelly), from…...
Cunningham, John
Cunningham, John (1729–73), poet, playwright, and actor, was born in Dublin. His father was of Scottish extraction, a wine cooper who invested a lottery win in a wine merchant business, but soon went bankrupt; his mother's name was Fleming. Cunningham was educated at a grammar…...
Cusack, Cyril James
Cusack, Cyril James (1910–93), actor, director, and writer, was born 26 November 1910 in Durban, South Africa, son of James Walter Cusack, an Irish officer with the Natal mounted police, and Alice Violet Cusack (née Cole), a Cockney chorus girl, who was related to the music-hall…...
Daborne, Robert
Daborne, Robert (c.1580–1628), playwright and cleric, was the son of Robert Daborne (1551–1612), a tradesman of Guildford, Surrey, and his wife, Susan (née Travis; d. 1626). He states in the preface to A Christian turn'd Turke (1612) that his descent was ‘not…...
Daiken, Leslie Herbert
Daiken, Leslie Herbert (1912–64), author, film-maker, and expert on children's toys, was born in Dublin. He graduated M.Litt. from TCD in 1933. As a student he was already publishing poetry and short…...
Dalton, (James) Emmet
Dalton, (James) Emmet (1898–1978), soldier, revolutionary, and film producer, was born 4 March 1898 in Fall River, Massachusetts, USA, eldest among seven children of James Francis Dalton, manufacturer's agent, of Oniville, Rhode Island, and Katherine Lee Dalton (née Riley; d. 1957) of…...
D'Alton, Louis
D'Alton, Louis (1900–51), writer and actor, was born Louis Dalton at Fairview, Dublin, on 24 May 1900, eldest of five children (of whom two sons and a daughter survived to adulthood) of Frank Dalton, actor and theatre producer, and his wife Catherine (née Lynch). Louis later adopted…...
Daly, Richard
Daly, Richard (1758–1813), theatrical manager, was born in Co. Galway, second son of Joseph Daly, a prosperous farmer. He entered TCD in 1773, but there is no record of his taking a degree. A reckless and violent character, he was said…...
De Buitléar, Éamon
De Buitléar, Éamon (1930–2013), filmmaker, environmentalist, author and musician, was born on 22 January 1930 in Renmore Barracks, Co. Galway, one of seven children of Colonel Éamon de Buitléar (1902–81), an army officer of Clanbrassil Street, Dublin, and his wife Nóra (née O'Brien…...
de Búrca, Séamus
de Búrca, Séamus (1912–2002), writer and costumier, was born James Bourke on 16 March 1912 in Dublin, one of the ten children of the writer-actor-manager P. J. Bourke (qv) and Margaret Bourke (née Kearney), a Dublin seamstress.…...
De Chenu, (Roger) Noël
De Chenu, (Roger) Noël (1924–2002), architect, artist and actor, was born on 25 December 1924 in Drumcondra, Dublin, the son of Roger Louis de Chenu (1891–1964) and his wife Aileen (née McShane; b. 1893). Roger, a dress designer, originally came from Poitiers in France, and is said…...
Delane, Dennis
Delane, Dennis (c.1707–1750), actor, was probably the eldest son of George Delane (d. 1720), a Dublin glazier with an interest in lands in Co. Roscommon, whose widow Joan and three daughters were living in 1737. He was admitted to TCD…...
Delany, Cathleen
Delany, Cathleen (1907–97), actress, was born Kathleen Mary Delany on 21 July 1907 at 98 Marlborough Road, Donnybrook, Dublin, daughter of Alfred Patrick (A. P.) Delany, journalist, and his wife Kathleen Mary (née Kilgannon); she had at least two siblings, a brother and a sister. By…...
Delany, Maureen
Delany, Maureen (c.1888–1961), actress, was born in Kilkenny, daughter of Dr Barry Delany, medical officer to the Kilkenny mental home, and his Kerry-born wife (née Nagle). Her father died when she was three months old. She was educated at the Dominican College in Galway…...
Denvir, John
Denvir, John (1834–1916), author, journalist, publisher, and Fenian, was born in Bushmills, Co. Antrim, eldest son of James Denvir, clerk, of Ballywalter, Lecale, Co. Down, and Margaret ‘Peggy’ Denvir (née O'Loughlin) of Ballymagenaghy, Co. Down. Although born in Ireland while his…...
De Valois, Dame Ninette
De Valois, Dame Ninette (1898–2001), ballerina, choreographer, and founder of the Royal Ballet, was born Edris Stannus 6 June 1898, at Baltiboys, near Blessington, Co. Wicklow. She was the second daughter of Lieutenant-colonel T. R. A. Stannus and Lilith Stannus (née Graydon-Smith;…...
Dicuil (Dícuil(l))
Dicuil (Dícuil(l)) (c.760–p.825), Irish scholar-exile at the courts of Charles the Great and Louis the Pious, was an important author of several works on geography, computus, grammar, and astronomy. The only details of his life that are known are what can be…...
Digges, (John) Dudley
Digges, (John) Dudley (1880–1947), actor, stage manager, and director, was born 9 June 1880, son of James Dudley Digges, clerk, of 16 Beechwood Avenue, Ranelagh, Dublin, and Catherine Digges (née Forsythe). He was educated by the Christian Brothers (1886–90), and at St Mary's college,…...
Digges, Mary (née Quinn)
Digges, Mary (née Quinn) (1872–47), actress and nationalist, was born Mary Roden Quinn on 9 June 1872 in Co. Fermanagh. A founding member of Inghinidhe na hÉireann (Daughters of Ireland), the nationalist society formed in Dublin on 15 April 1900, she was appointed its executive…...
Doggett, Thomas
Doggett, Thomas (c.1670–1721), actor and manager, was born at Castle St., Dublin, but little is known about his early life. An unsuccessful actor in Ireland (1684–8), he moved to England as a strolling player. At Drury Lane he played Solon in the first performances of ‘The…...
Donahoe, Patrick
Donahoe, Patrick (1811–1901) editor, publisher, and businessman, was born 17 March 1811 in Munnery, Kilmore, Co. Cavan, the son of Terrence Donahoe and his wife Jane (née Christy). His mother died when he was an infant. In 1821 he emigrated, with his father, to Boston,…...
Donnelly, Donal
Donnelly, Donal (1931–2010), actor, was born on 6 July 1931 in Bradford, Yorkshire, the third son among seven children of James Donnelly (d. 1964), a general practitioner, and his wife Nora (née O'Connor). Dr Donnelly was originally from Tyrone and Nora from Kerry, and the family moved…...