Co. Offaly

Armstrong, John Warneford (1770–1858), soldier and informant, was born 28 August 1770 at Ballycumber, near Clara, King's Co. (Offaly), eldest among two sons and three daughters of George Armstrong (1734–80), landed gentleman, of Ballycumber, and his wife Constantia Maria (d. 1826),…

Barnes, Peter Joseph (1907–40), republican, was born 6 May 1907 in Banagher, King's County (Offaly), son of Michael Barnes, labourer, and Margaret Barnes (née Loonam), both of Banagher. In 1939, at the age of 32, he gave up his job as a steam-raiser with Offaly county council and…

Bell, Alan (1857–1920), policeman and resident magistrate, was born in Banagher, King's Co. (Offaly), one of at least two sons of the Rev. James Adamson Bell, Church of Ireland clergyman; his mother's name is unknown. Educated locally, he joined the…

Bewley, Sir Edmund Thomas (1837–1908), judge, genealogist, and professor of law, was born at the family home at Clara, King's Co. (Offaly), only son of Edward Bewley of Moate, Co. Westmeath, and Mary Bewley (née Mulock) of Kilnagarna, King's Co. He entered…

Brenan, Martin (1901–82), priest and academic, was born 23 August 1901 at Castlecomer, Co. Kilkenny, one of five children of John Brenan, a labourer, and Kate Brenan (née Butler). After studying at Maynooth College he was ordained a priest of the diocese of Kildare and Leighlin in…

Bulfin, William (1863–1910), journalist in Argentina and travel writer, was born at Derrinlough House, near Birr, King's County (Offaly), and baptised 14 November 1863, fourth son in the family of ten sons and one daughter of William Bulfin, a strong farmer, and his wife Ellen (née…

Burke, John (1786–1848), genealogist, was born 12 November 1786 (Landed gentry (6th ed., 1882), 227), probably at Elm Hall, Parsonstown (Birr), King's Co. (Offaly), elder son of Peter Burke (1756–1836), landowner and JP, and Anne…

Cantwell, John (1792–1866), catholic bishop of Meath, was born 25 December 1792 at Rahan, King's Co. One of the family of at least six children of Edward Cantwell and his wife Catherine, he was briefly a student at the diocesan seminary, St Finian's, at Navan, Co. Meath (from February…

Cathal (d. 1010), son of Conchobar and overking of Connacht, belonged, like his earlier namesake Cathal (qv) (d. 925), to the Síl Muiredaig lineage of Uí Briúin Aí. Indeed, repetitive name-patterns in the pedigree of this dynasty have, in the…

Corbet, William Joseph (1824–1909), civil servant and politician, was the third son of Robert Corbet of Ballykaneen, Queen's County, and his wife, Alice, daughter of John Mulhall of Clonaslee, where William Corbet was born on 12 December 1824. He was educated at Broadwood Academy in…

Coyne, John Stirling (1803–68), dramatist and comic journalist, was born in Birr, Co. Offaly, the son of Denis Coyne, port surveyor of Waterford, and his wife, Bridget (née Cosgrave). Educated at Dungannon School, Co. Tyrone, he abandoned plans of entering the legal profession, and…

Daunt (Moriarty), William Joseph O'Neill (‘Denis Ignatius’) (1807–94), politician and writer, was born 28 April 1807 at Tullamore, King's County, the eldest of three sons and two daughters of Joseph Daunt (1779–1826), captain of the Louth militia quartered there, and his first…

Delany, Patrick Bernard (1845–1924), electrical engineer and inventor, was born 28 January 1845 in Killavilla, King's County (Offaly), son of James Delany and Margaret Delany (née White). In 1854 his family moved to Hartford, Connecticut, USA, where he attended parochial schools for…

Domnall Midi (‘of Meath’) (d. 763), son of Murchad and king of Tara, belonged to the Clann Cholmáin dynasty of Uí Néill. Domnall's reign saw further consolidation of his dynasty's position in the midlands, and the forging of close links between the Southern Uí Néill (which by…

Dowling, Matthew (‘Mat’) (1756–1805), United Irishman and attorney, was born in King's Co. (Offaly), son of Patrick Dowling and his wife. Little is known about his early life except that he came from a catholic family. He entered TCD in…

Duggan, George Chester (1885–1969), civil servant, was born 5 February 1885 in Parsonstown, King's Co. (Offaly), second son of George Duggan, born in Co. Fermanagh, manager of the Provincial Bank, College Green, Dublin, and Emily Duggan (née Grant). The family later lived at…

Egan, Patrick Joseph (1876–1960), businessman and politician, was born 14 June 1876 in Tullamore, King's Co. (Offaly), eldest son among at least four sons and one daughter of Henry Egan (1847–1919), of High St., Tullamore, prosperous merchant and local politician, and Elizabeth Egan…

Erard (Iorard, Urard) (d. 990), son of Cos, was celebrated as an important poet and as one of the principal learned men of pre-Norman Ireland. He seems to have spent his earlier career at Armagh: Geoffrey Keating (qv…

Fraser (Frazer), John (1803/4–1852), poet and cabinet-maker, was born in Birr, King's Co. (Offaly), into a presbyterian family, originally bearing the name de Jean (possibly of huguenot extraction). There are conflicting accounts of his date of birth. It is asserted in one…

Goulding, William (1817–84), businessman and politician, was born 15 November 1817 in Birr, Co. Offaly, the elder son of Joshua Goulding (1788–1826) of Birr, Co. Offaly, and his wife Sarah, daughter of Humphreys Manders of Blackpool, Co. Cork. Educated at Mountmellick grammar school,…

Guinan, Joseph (1863–1932), writer and priest, was born at Millbrook House, Cloghan, Co. Offaly; his parents were comfortable tenant farmers. Educated at St. Mel's College, Longford, he entered Maynooth in 1881. After being ordained in 1888 by Bishop…

Haddick, Victor Anderson (1887–1950), soldier, traveller, writer, and film maker and promoter, was born 14 June 1887 at Crinkill (Crinkle), Parsonstown (Birr), King's Co. (Offaly), the eldest son of Richard J. Haddick, a soldier, and his wife Jane Anne (née Anderson). He was educated…

Harris, Walter (1686–1761), antiquarian, was born in May 1686 in Mountmellick, King's Co. (Offaly), second son of Hopton Harris, who was described as a gentleman and served as lieutenant of the local Williamite militia in 1690–91. He entered the famous Kilkenny School in 1702 and…

Heaton, Richard (1601–66), cleric and botanist, was born 14 February 1601 at Moorehouse, Hooton Pagnall, Yorkshire, third of nine children of Francis Heaton, landowner, and his wife Ursulay. Only three children survived, but there is no further mention of the eldest son or…

Heeney, Cornelius (1754–1848), businessman and philanthropist, was born in King's Co. (Offaly) to catholic parents. Virtually nothing is known of his early life except that a relative gave him a start in business in Dublin, so that when he followed his father to America in 1784 he…