Egan, John
Egan, John (1952–2012), Gaelic footballer, was born on 13 June 1952 in Tahilla, near Sneem, Co. Kerry, one of four sons and three daughters of Paddy Egan, a carpenter of Tahilla, and his wife Mary (née O'Shea), who ran a small shop there. He played Gaelic football constantly,…...
Egan, Michael
Egan, Michael (1880–1954), handballer, was born 28 August 1880 at Ballyglass, Glenamaddy, Co. Galway, the son of Thomas Egan, a small farmer, and Catherine Egan (née Haddican) of Ballyglass. When he was young, his family migrated to Pittsburgh, USA. In 1896 they moved again, to…...
Eglington, Tommy (Thomas Joseph)
Eglington, Tommy (Thomas Joseph) (1923–2004), soccer player, was born 15 January 1923 at 14 Norfolk Market, Great Britain (latterly Parnell) Street, Dublin, son of Christopher Eglington, butcher, and his wife Margaret (née McHugh). In his childhood the family moved to 7 Hazel Road…...
Elliott, James
Elliott, James (1838–83), boxer, was born in March 1838 in Athlone, Co. Westmeath. His family emigrated to the US when he was an infant, and he grew up in Brooklyn, New York. His father abandoned the family shortly after their arrival in America and Elliott worked from a young age in a…...
Elliott, Seamus (‘Shay’)
Elliott, Seamus ('Shay') (1934–71), cyclist, was born 4 June 1934 at Old County Road, Crumlin, Dublin, the second of three sons of Jim Elliott, garage owner of Rathfarnham, Co. Dublin, and his wife Nell (née Farrell). His parents were part of the republican contingent that seized the…...
Ewing, (Reginald) Cecil
Ewing, (Reginald) Cecil (1910–73), golfer, was born 11 July 1910 at Rosses Point, Co. Sligo, son of Thomas Ewing, hotel proprietor, and Sally Ewing (née Kerrison). His father's hotel at Rosses Point doubled as a clubhouse for the local golf club in its early days, and Cecil became…...
Fallon, Sean
Fallon, Sean (1922–2013), footballer and coach, was born on 31 July 1922 in Sligo, one of nine children (six girls and three boys) of John Fallon (1897–1980) and his wife Margaret (1897–1990; née Forde). In 1914 John Fallon quit his job in McArthur’s bakery in Sligo to join the…...
Farquharson, Tom G.
Farquharson, Tom G. (c.1900–1974), goalkeeper, was born in Dublin, son of a trader; there is no other information on his parents or early life. Displaying an early aptitude for football, he won the Leinster minor cup with Annesley before deciding to concentrate on playing…...
Farrell, Peter Desmond
Farrell, Peter Desmond (1922–99), soccer player, was born 16 August 1922 in Dalkey, Co. Dublin, son of Loughlin Farrell, insurance agent, and Teresa Farrell (née Glynn), of Ruby Cottage, Convent Road, Dalkey. He was educated at the Harold Boys School and later Dún Laoghaire…...
Fenning, Seumas
Fenning, Seumas (1904–81), snooker and billiards player, was born 12 February 1904 in Wood Quay, Dublin, one of thirteen children (of whom eleven survived) of Thomas J. Fenning, proofreader and bookseller, and Mary Fenning (née O'Donoghue). He attended a number of schools in the…...
Ferris, Samuel
Ferris, Samuel (1900–1980), long-distance athlete, was born 29 August 1900 in Magherabeg, near Dromore, Co. Down, the son of Samuel Ferris, labourer, and his wife, Mary, née Clarke. His family emigrated to Glasgow where, at the age of sixteen, Samuel joined the Shettleston Harriers…...
Ffennell, William Joshua
Ffennell, William Joshua (1799–1867), fishery reformer, was born 16 August 1799 at Ballybrado, near Cahir, Co. Tipperary, eldest son (among six sons and ten daughters) of Joshua William Ffennell, country gentleman, and his wife Elizabeth. Educated locally, though not well, he was…...
Fisher, William Robert (‘Bertie’)
Fisher, William Robert (‘Bertie’) (1950–2001), rally driver and businessman, was born 25 March 1950 in Ballinamallard, Co. Fermanagh, one of four sons of Tommy Fisher, owner of a structural engineering firm, and Elsie Fisher, both originally from Co. Leitrim. He was educated at the…...
Fitzgerald, Edward (Eamonn)
Fitzgerald, Edward (Eamonn) (1903–58), Gaelic footballer and Olympic athlete, was born 27 October 1903 in Behihane, Castlecove, Co. Kerry, one of seven children of John Fitzgerald, farmer, and Mary Fitzgerald (née McCarthy). He was initially educated locally at Bunaneer national…...
Fitzgerald, Eugene (Gene)
Fitzgerald, Eugene (Gene) (1932–2007), politician, was born in Crookstown, Co. Cork, on 21 August 1932; he had at least one brother and one sister. Educated at Crookstown national school and Presentation Brothers' College, Cork, he lived most of his adult life in Bishopstown in the…...
Fitzgerald, Dick (‘Dickeen’)
Fitzgerald, Dick (‘Dickeen’), Gaelic footballer and revolutionary, was born 2 October 1882 in College Street, Killarney, Co. Kerry, one of at least three sons and three daughters of Michael Fitzgerald, a merchant of College Street, and his wife Bridget (née Healy). His primary education…...
FitzGibbon, Abraham Coates
FitzGibbon, Abraham Coates (1823–87), railway engineer and antiquary, was born 23 January 1823 at Mount Eagle, Kilworth, Co. Cork, second son of Lt Philip FitzGibbon, RN, and Elizabeth FitzGibbon (née Coates) of Killinure, Co. Wicklow. Educated at the…...
Fitzgibbon, Edward
Fitzgibbon, Edward (1803–57), journalist known as ‘Ephemera’, was born in August 1803 in Limerick, son of a land agent; nothing else is known of his family. On the death of his father (1817) he went to London, aged 14, and two years later was articled to a surgeon. Within two…...
Fitzmaurice, James Christopher
Fitzmaurice, James Christopher (1898–1965), aviator, was born 6 January 1898 at 35 Mountjoy Prison Cottages, North Circular Road, Dublin, second of three sons and one daughter of Michael Fitzmaurice, prison warder, and Mary Agnes Fitzmaurice (née Riordan), both of whose families…...
Fitzpatrick, Sir Bernard Edward Barnaby
Fitzpatrick, Sir Bernard Edward Barnaby (1848–1937), 2nd Baron Castletown, landlord, soldier, sportsman, and adventurer, was born 29 July 1848 in London, only son and eldest of six children of John Wilson Fitzpatrick, 1st Baron Castletown, soldier and landlord, of Abbeyleix, Queen's Co…...
Flanagan, John J.
Flanagan, John J. (1873–1938), athlete, was born 9 January 1873 at Kilbreedy, Co. Limerick, son of Michael Flanagan of Kilbreedy. Having played inter-provincial hurling for Munster and won Irish and British titles throwing the hammer, a discipline of which his father had been a…...
Flanagan, Seán
Flanagan, Seán (1922–93), GAA footballer and politician, was born 26 January 1922 in Ballyhaunis, Co. Mayo, second eldest child among four sons and two daughters of Stanislaus Flanagan, national school teacher, and Ann Flanagan (née Spelman). He was educated at St Jarlath's…...
Flood, Finbarr
Flood, Finbarr (1938–2016), soccer player, managing director of Guinness brewery and chairman of the Labour Court, was born on 1 December 1938 in Kilmainham, Dublin, one of three children (and only son) to Jack Flood, a worker in Guinness, and his wife Eva Flood (née…...
Flood, John Joe (‘Slasher’)
Flood, John Joe (‘Slasher’) (1898–1982), soccer player, was born 2 August 1898 at 5 Irishtown Road, Ringsend, Dublin, eldest among three sons and four daughters of John Flood, bottleblower (and later insurance agent), and Mary Ann Flood (née Kelly), both of Dublin. The family…...
Flynn, Patrick J. (‘Pat’)
Flynn, Patrick J. (‘Pat’) (1894–1969), athlete, was born 29 December 1894 at Ballinadee, Bandon, Co. Cork, son of Patrick Flynn, a labourer, and Ellen Flynn (née Murphy). Slightly built – he stood 5 ft. 7 in., and weighed 8 st. 3 lbs – in the early 1910s he enjoyed considerable…...