Bourke, Thomas
Bourke, Thomas (fl. 1643–4), printer, has been considered the first known printer in Waterford. Though his background is not known, it has been argued that the ‘good standard of the typesetting and printing of his extant works demonstrate that he was already a well-trained…...
Bowes, John
Bowes, John (1691–1767), lord chancellor of Ireland and MP, was possibly born in either Surrey or Hertfordshire, second son of Thomas Bowes of Bishopsgate, London, member of the Turners' Company; his mother's name was North. Admitted to the Inner Temple, London (6 December 1712),…...
Bowles, Michael Andrew
Bowles, Michael Andrew (1909–98), musicologist and founder of the Radio Éireann Symphony Orchestra (later the National Symphony Orchestra), was born 30 November 1909 at Riverstown, Co. Sligo, eldest son among six daughters and two sons of Patrick Bowles, a shopkeeper, and his wife…...
Boydell, Brian Patrick
Boydell, Brian Patrick (1917–2000), composer and musicologist, was born 17 March 1917 in Dublin, son (with two younger sisters) of James Boydell, maltster, and Eileen Boydell (née Collins, daughter of Alfred T. Collins (qv)), both of…...
Boyle, (Christopher) Kevin
Boyle, (Christopher) Kevin (1943–2010), lawyer, academic and human rights activist, was born on 23 May 1943 in Newry, Co. Down, the fourth of nine children of Louis Boyle, a taxi driver, and his wife Elizabeth (or Alice) (née McArdle). The family was catholic. Kevin was educated locally…...
Boyle, Ina (Selina Adelaide Philippa)
Boyle, Ina (Selina Adelaide Philippa) (1889–1967), composer, was born 8 March 1889 in Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow, daughter of Rev. William Foster Boyle, curate in Powerscourt parish, and his wife Philippa Augusta Jephson. Her father made violins and cellos as a hobby. She grew up at…...
Boyle, Michael
Boyle, Michael (1615?–1702), Church of Ireland archbishop of Armagh, lord chancellor and lord justice, was probably born c.1615 (he gave his age as 64 in April 1679), the elder son among two sons and nine daughters of Richard Boyle (…...
Brabazon, Sir William
Brabazon, Sir William (d. 1552), vice-treasurer and lord justice of Ireland, was the son of John Brabazon, a landowner of Eastwell in Leicestershire, and his wife, whose maiden name was Chaworth. By 1526 he had entered the royal service as a land surveyor and accountant, gaining…...
Bradstreet, Sir Samuel
Bradstreet, Sir Samuel (1738–91), 3rd baronet, MP, and judge, was born in October 1738, second son among four children of Sir Simon Bradstreet (1693–1762), barrister and 1st baronet (cr. 1759) of Kilmainham, Co. Dublin, and his first cousin Ellen Bradstreet (1697?–1779), daughter…...
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, Maziere
Brady, Maziere (1796–1871), lord chancellor of Ireland and patron of the arts, was born 20 July 1796 in Dublin, second of three sons of Francis Tempest Brady (1763–1821) of Willow Park, Booterstown, Co. Dublin, manufacturer of gold and silver thread, and Martha Brady (née Hodgson…...
Brady, Patrick Joseph
Brady, Patrick Joseph (1868–1943), solicitor and politician, was eldest of the three sons of James Brady, merchant, of Idrone Terrace, Blackrock, Co. Dublin. Educated at Castleknock College (1880–87), and the Royal University, Dublin, he qualified as a solicitor in 1893, having…...
Brady, Rory
Brady, Rory (1957–2010), barrister and attorney general, was born on 20 August 1957 in Gray Street in the Liberties area of Dublin, son of John Brady and his wife Teresa (née Kennedy). John Brady worked in Guinness's brewery, and was an unsuccessful Clann na Poblachta candidate for…...
Brady, Sir Francis William
Brady, Sir Francis William (1824–1909), judge, 2nd baronet, and founding member of the RIAM, was born in Dublin 22 July 1824, eldest son among two sons and three daughters of Sir Maziere Brady…...
Brase, Wilhelm Fritz
Brase, Wilhelm Fritz (1875–1940), musician, was born 4 May 1875 at Egestorf, near Hanover, Germany. He graduated at the Leipzig conservatoire and the Berlin academy of music, was the youngest person to become ‘royal musical director’ (1909), attained a leading position among the…...
Breathnach, Breandán
Breathnach, Breandán (1912–85), author, collector, and musician, was born 1 April 1912 in Hamilton St., Dublin, elder of two sons and three daughters of Patrick Walsh (d. 1980), silk weaver, and Julia Walsh (née Parker) (d. 1927). Educated at Francis St. national school, he obtained a…...
Brett, (Sir) Charles Edward Bainbridge
Brett, (Sir) Charles Edward Bainbridge (1928–2005), solicitor, architectural historian and public figure in Northern Ireland, was born 30 October 1928 in Holywood, Co. Down, eldest of three children, two boys and a girl, of Charles Anthony Brett, a Belfast solicitor, and his wife…...
Brewster, Abraham
Brewster, Abraham (1796–1874), lord chancellor of Ireland 1867–8, was born 10 April 1796 in Ballymutra House, west Co. Wicklow, son of William Bagenal Brewster and his wife Mary, daughter of Thomas Bates of Askinvillar, Co. Wexford. After boarding at Kilkenny College, he…...
Bric, John
Bric, John (1793–1826), lawyer and repealer, was born 21 June 1793, third son of Lawrence Bric of Tralee, Co. Kerry (the name Ó Bric/Ó Bruic is long established in Munster) and his wife Mary Breen. He was admitted to the King's Inns, Dublin (1816), and the Middle Temple, London (…...
Bridgwater, John (Savan) of (John de Ponte)
Bridgwater, John (Savan) of (John de Ponte) (c.1248–1306/7), administrator, lawyer, and justice, was born no later than 1248 and perhaps several years before that (he was acting as an attorney by 1269 and therefore probably 21 or older in that year); his birthplace was…...
Brodrick, Alan
Brodrick, Alan (c.1655–1728), 1st Viscount Midleton , lord chancellor of Ireland, was the second son of St John Brodrick, a beneficiary of the Cromwellian land settlement who originated from Wandsworth in Surrey and established himself at Ballyannan, near Midleton in Co.…...
Browne, Arthur
Browne, Arthur (1756?–1805), lawyer, legal and classical scholar, and MP, was born probably in Newport, Rhode Island, North America, the only son of Marmaduke Browne (1731–71), rector of Trinity church, Newport, and later a founding fellow of Rhode Island College (from 1804 Brown…...
Browne, Daniel J. (‘Dan’)
Browne, Daniel J. (‘Dan’) (1895–1959), lawyer and civil servant, was born 21 May 1895, the youngest of the fourteen children of Daniel Browne, shopkeeper and butcher, and Ellen (née Walsh), of the Corner House, Church Street, Listowel, Co. Kerry. After a distinguished career as a…...
Brown, Edward Godfrey
Brown, Edward Godfrey (1874–1955), conductor and musical director, was born 15 January 1874 at 74 Blake St., Barrow-in-Furness, Cumberland (Cumbria), the only son among four children of Edward Brown (1853–1941) and Emma Brown (née Godfrey). His father came from Marlow,…...
Browne, Geoffrey
Browne, Geoffrey (d. 1668), lawyer and politician, was the eldest son, of the four sons and five daughters, of Sir Dominick Browne, merchant, and mayor of Galway in 1634, and his wife, Anastasia, daughter of James Darcy, mayor of Galway in 1603, and sister of…...