Welcome to the Dictionary of Irish Biography
The Dictionary of Irish Biography, a collaborative project between Cambridge University Press and the Royal Irish Academy, is the most comprehensive and authoritative biographical dictionary yet published for Ireland. These 11 volumes contain fascinating short summaries and detailed assessments that document over 10,000 lives, ranging from the earliest times to 2010. Biographical subjects include: artists, scientists, lawyers, actors, musicians, writers, politicians, criminals, and saints.
The following lives were added to the Dictionary of Irish Biography Online in December 2019.
- Barnewall, Sir John (1634?–1691?), barrister and judge
- Barry, Denis (1883–1923), Irish Volunteer
- Bewley, Victor Ernest Henry (1912–2000), quaker businessman and philanthropist
Biography of the Day
Crowley, Peter O'Neill (1832–1867)
by David MurphyCrowley, Peter O'Neill (1832–67), Fenian, was born 23 May 1832 at Ballymacoda, Co. Cork, into a family of tenant farmers. He was named after his great-uncle, Fr Peter O'Neill, who had been a 1798 rebel. Another great uncle was said to have been flogged on the streets of Youghal for his part in the 1798 rebellion and the memory of this event made Crowley intensely anti-British and led him to join the Fenian movement at its inception in 1858. Described as ‘a very extensive farmer’, he was known lo...
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The Dictionary of Irish Biography, a project of the Royal Irish Academy, is funded by the Higher Education Authority.
