Bielenberg, Christabel Mary Harmsworth
Bielenberg, Christabel Mary Harmsworth (1909–2003), writer, was born on 18 June 1909 at the Old House, Totteridge, Hertfordshire, England, the second of four children (two boys and two girls) of Percy Collingwood Burton (1879–1953) of Totteridge, a British army officer and advertising…...
Bielenberg, Peter
This is a co-subject for the entry on Bielenberg, Christabel Mary Harmsworth. View the original entry....
Biggar, Joseph Gillis
Biggar, Joseph Gillis (1828–90), politician, was born 10 August 1828 in Belfast, eldest son of Joseph Biggar, prosperous merchant and subsequently chairman of the Ulster Bank, and his wife Isabella, daughter of William Houston of Ballyearl, Co. Antrim. After schooling at the…...
Bing, Geoffrey Henry Cecil
Bing, Geoffrey Henry Cecil (1909–77), barrister and politician, was born 24 July 1909 at Rockport, Craigavad, Co. Down, son of Geoffrey Bing (an anglican clergyman who had founded a preparatory school there) and Irene Bing (née Duke). The family spent some time in China, and Bing…...
Blacker, William
Blacker, William (1777–1855), militia officer and Orangeman, was born 1 September 1777 at Carrickblacker, near Portadown, Co. Armagh, first of four sons of Stewart Blacker (1740–1826), dean of Leighlin and owner of Carrickblacker, and his wife Eliza, daughter of Sir Hugh Hill (…...
Blackley, William Lewery
Blackley, William Lewery (1830–1902), clergyman, social reformer, and linguist, was born 30 December 1830 at Dundalk, Co. Louth, second son of Travers Robert Blackley, physician, and Eliza Blackley (née Lewery). From 1843 to 1845 he was educated in Brussels by Dr Carl Martin…...
Blake, John Aloysius
Blake, John Aloysius (1826–87), politician and government official, was born in Waterford city, son of Andrew Blake, gentleman, and Mary Blake (née Gallwey). A Roman Catholic, he was educated at King's College, Waterford, and Government College at Pau in France. His political…...
Blakeney, Sir William
Blakeney, Sir William (1672?–1761), Baron Blakeney , soldier and MP, was born at Mount Blakeney, Co. Limerick, eldest of five sons of William Blakeney of Thomastown, Co. Limerick, country gentleman and MP for Kilmallock, Co. Limerick, and Elizabeth Blakeney (née Bowerman) of…...
Blake, Richard
Blake, Richard (c.1595–1663), lawyer and politician, was the eldest son of Robert Blake, a wealthy merchant from Ardfry, Co. Galway, and Katherine, daughter of Richard Darcy of Gorteen, Co. Galway. The Blakes, one of the fourteen ‘tribes’ of Galway, were centrally…...
Blake, Sir Thomas
Blake, Sir Thomas (d. 1642), 2nd baronet, landowner, and mayor of Galway, was the elder son, of the two sons and three daughters, of Sir Valentine Blake (qv) of Galway and his first wife, Margaret, daughter of Robuck French of…...
Blake, Sir Valentine
Blake, Sir Valentine (1560–c.1634), merchant and mayor of Galway, was eldest of three sons of Walter Blake of Galway and Juliana Blake, daughter of James Browne of Galway. A leading merchant, trading at least with Spain and Portugal, by 1592 he was described as the…...
Blake, Sir Valentine
Blake, Sir Valentine (c.1608–1652?), 3rd baronet and politician, was the eldest of the four sons of Thomas Blake (qv) of Menlo and Galway and his wife, Juliane, daughter of Geoffrey Browne of Galway. He was heir to…...
Blaney, Harry
Blaney, Harry (1928–2013), public representative, was born on 18 February 1928 in Rossnakill on the Fanad Peninsula, Co. Donegal, one of eleven children (five daughters and six sons) of Neal Blaney TD (qv) and his wife Nora (née Sweeney…...
Blaney, Neil Terence Columba
Blaney, Neil Terence Columba (1922–95), sometimes referred to as Neil Óg, politician and Fianna Fáil cabinet minister, was born in Rossnakill (half-way up the western side of the Fanad peninsula in the Milford electoral area), Co. Donegal, on 29 October 1922, the eldest of the eleven…...
Blennerhassett, Sir Rowland
Blennerhassett, Sir Rowland (1839–1909), 4th baronet, politician, and author, was born 5 September 1839 at Blennerville, Co. Kerry, the only son among two children of Sir Arthur Blennerhassett (1794–1849), 3rd baronet, a catholic landowner and high sheriff of Co. Kerry (1820), and…...
Bligh, Thomas
Bligh, Thomas (1693–1775), soldier and MP, was born 14 August 1693, second among three sons of Thomas Bligh (1654–1710), of Rathmore, Co. Meath, country gentleman, privy counsellor, and MP for Athboy, Co. Meath (1692–3) and for Co. Meath (1695–9, 1703–10), and his wife Elizabeth (…...
Blowick, Joseph
Blowick, Joseph (1903–70), farmer and politician, was born in Belcarra, Castlebar, Co. Mayo, on 13 March 1903, one of the four sons and two daughters of John Blowick, farmer, and his wife, Honoria (née Madden), originally of Donamona, Belcarra. Educated at the local national…...
Blythe, Ernest (de Blaghd, Earnán)
Blythe, Ernest (de Blaghd, Earnán) (1889–1975), revolutionary, politician, government minister, managing director of the Abbey Theatre, and Irish-language revivalist, was born 13 April 1889 at Magheragall, Lisburn, Co. Antrim, eldest child among two sons and two daughters of James…...
Boal, Desmond Norman Orr
Boal, Desmond Norman Orr (1928–2015), lawyer and politician, was born on 8 August 1928 in St Columb’s Court, Derry city, the third of five children (and only son) of James Boal, cashier and bakery manager, and his wife Kathleen (nèe Walker). Brought up in the Church of Ireland, he was…...
Boland, Gerald
Boland, Gerald (1885–1973), republican soldier and politician, was born 25 May 1885 in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester, England, second child and eldest son among three sons and two daughters of James Boland (qv), a peripatetic…...
Boland, Henry James (‘Harry’)
Boland, Henry James (‘Harry’) (1887–1922), revolutionary, was born 27 April 1887 at 6 Dalymount Terrace, Phibsborough Rd, north Dublin, third of five children of James Boland (qv), paving foreman and eventually overseer for Dublin…...
Boland, John James
Boland, John James (1944–2000), politician and government minister, was born 30 November 1944 at 28 Rathfarnham Road, Terenure, Dublin, eldest among two sons and one daughter of Charles Boland and Kathleen Boland (née Whitty), both of whom were civil servants, resident at 15 St Agnes…...
Boland, John Mary Pius
Boland, John Mary Pius (1870–1958), politician, lawyer, and tennis player, was born on 16 September 1870 at 135 Capel Street, Dublin, the second son of Patrick Boland (1840–1877), a prosperous milling merchant, and his wife Mary Donnelly. After beginning his education at the Catholic…...
Booth, Eva Selina Gore-
Booth, Eva Selina Gore- (1870–1926), poet, mystic, trade unionist and suffragist, was born on 22 May 1870 at Lissadell, Co. Sligo, the second of three daughters (and two sons) of Sir Henry Gore-Booth, 5th baronet and Arctic explorer, and his wife, Georgina (née Hill) of Tickhill castle…...
Boran, Nicholas (Nixie)
Boran, Nicholas (Nixie) (1903–72), trade unionist, was born in 1903 at Massford in the colliery district north of Castlecomer in Co. Kilkenny, the second in a family of four born to George Boran, a small farmer and coal carter, and his wife, Mary (née Maher). Nicholas attended…...