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 2018.
- Almqvist, Bo Gunnar (1931–2013), folklore scholar
- Binchy, Maeve (1939–2012), novelist and journalist
- Blaney, Harry (1928–2013), politician
Biography of the Day
Gilbert, Sir John Thomas (1829–1898)
by Siobhán FitzpatrickGilbert, Sir John Thomas (1829–98), merchant, historian, archivist, and librarian, was born 23 January 1829 at 23 Jervis St., Dublin, second son and fifth child of John Gilbert (1791–1833), wine and cider importer and Portuguese consul, and Mary Anne Gilbert (née Costello), both of Dublin. Gilbert's grandfather, Henry Gilbert, had emigrated to Ireland from Devon in the 1780s, when he established a firm to import Gilbert's Devonshire cider into Ireland. Henry's son John carried on the family busi...
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The Dictionary of Irish Biography, a project of the Royal Irish Academy, is funded by the Higher Education Authority.