Your American History Reference Guide! - List of Irish people
List of Irish people
This is a list of famous Irish people .
It covers
people who come from the island of Ireland , that is the countries: the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland .
people of Irish descent who identified themselves or involved themselves with Ireland (eg, Eamon de Valera, Princess Grace of Monaco),
people who chose to adopt an Irish identity or Irish citizenship (eg, Daniel Day-Lewis).
Some people born on the island of Ireland, particularly from Northern Ireland, also regard themselves as British . Perhaps because of the extent of Irish emigration , talented people of Irish birth or descent have become known throughout the world.
Art
Main list of visual artists: List of Irish artists
Architecture
Actors
Patrick Bergin
Pierce Brosnan , Navan -born (James Bond )
Gabriel Byrne
Cyril Cusack , born in South Africa
Niamh Cusack
Sorcha Cusack
Daniel Day-Lewis , Oscar winner, born in UK
Hilton Edwards , co-founder of the Gate Theatre , born in UK
Colin Farrell
Barry Fitzgerald , Abbey Theatre actor turned Hollywood star
Brenda Fricker , Oscar winner
Harrison Ford (Irish father-Russian Jewish mother), Oscar nominee
Sir Michael Gambon
Richard Harris
Grace Kelly , Irish-American actress who married Prince Rainier III of Monaco
Joe Lynch , TV
Micheál Mac Liammóir , co-founder of the Gate Theatre , born in UK
Victor McLaglen
Colm Meaney
Charles Mitchel
Cillian Murphy
Liam Neeson
Ardal O'Hanlon actor/comedian
Maureen O'Hara
Milo O'Shea
Maureen O'Sullivan , actor and mother of Mia Farrow
Peter O'Toole , Oscar winner
Stephen Rea
Fiona Shaw
Music
Benji and Joel Madden , Lead Guitarist and Singer of Good Charlotte
Gerald Barry , composer, Aosdána
Derek Bell , harpist
Seóirse Bodley , Aosdána
Bono (real name: Paul Hewson), lead singer of U2
Colm O'Loughlin (musician and singer/songwriter) lead singer of Snowdogs
Boyzone
John Buckley , Aosdána
The Chieftains , traditional music group
Fada , trad-pop irish music group
Frank Corcoran , Aosdána
The Corrs
Phil Coulter , composer
The Cranberries
Dana , Rosemary Scallon,MEP - singer turned politician
Raymond Deane , Aosdána
Jerome de Bromhead , Aosdána
Roger Doyle , Aosdána
Enya (real name: Eithne Ní Bhraonáin), singer/songwriter
Eibhlis Farrell , Aosdána
John Field (composer) (creator of the nocturne )
Jem Finer , banjoist and guitarist
The Fury Brothers and Davy Arthur
James Galway , flautist
Bob Geldof , songwriter, singer of the Boomtown Rats , activist
Hamilton Harty , composer and arranger
Michael Holohan , Aosdána
Brian Irvine , composer
Fergus Johnson , Aosdána
Ronan Keating , singer/songwriter
Luke Kelly , singer
Brian Kennedy , singer
Dave King , singer/songwriter
John Kinsella , Aosdána
Johnny Logan , singer/songwriter
Phil Lynott , Thin Lizzy frontman
Philip Martin , pianist, Aosdána
John Count McCormack , singer
Shane MacGowan , singer/songwriter
Christy Moore , singer/songwriter
Van Morrison , singer/songwriter
Samantha Mumba , singer
Sean Mackin , Backup Vocals and Violinist of Yellowcard
Turlough O'Carolan , 17th century harpist and composer ("Last of the Bards")
Sinéad O'Connor , singer
Kevin O'Connell , Aosdána
Daniel O'Donnell , country-and-western singer - linked to wrong Daniel O'Donnell
Mary O'Hara , harpist/singer
Jane O'Leary , Aosdána
Eric Sweeney , Aosdána
Westlife
Ian Wilson , Aosdána
James Wilson , Aosdána
Dance
Writing
See also: List of Irish novelists
Cecil Frances Alexander
William Allingham , poet
John Banville , novelist
Leland Bardwell , Aosdána
George Barrington
Sebastian Barry , novelist, Aosdána
Samuel Beckett , Saoi
Brendan Behan , playwright, novelist
Dermot Bolger , novelist, Aosdána
Clare Boylan , Aosdána
Christy Browne , author of My Left Foot
J. B. Bury , historian
Marina Carr , Aosdána
Ciarán Carson , Aosdána
Philip Casey , Aosdána
Seathrún Céitinn (Geoffrey Keating)
Harry Clifton , Aosdána
Michael Coady , Aosdána
Anthony Cronin , Aosdána
Margaretta D'Arcy , Aosdána
Seamus Deane , Aosdána
Eamon Delaney
Aubrey de Vere , poet
Theo Dorgan , Aosdána
Roddy Doyle , novelist
Sir Samuel Ferguson poet
Brian Friel , playwright , Aosdána
Carlo Gébler , Aosdána
Oliver Goldsmith , novelist and dramatist
Oliver St John Gogarty
Robert Greacen , Aosdána
Lady Gregory , playwright and founder of the Abbey Theatre
Dermot Healy , Aosdána
Seamus Heaney , Saoi of Aosdána
Aidan Higgins , Aosdána
Rita Ann Higgins , poet, Aosdána
Pearse Hutchinson , Aosdána
Pat Ingoldsby , poet, playwright, etc.
Jennifer Johnston , Aosdána
Neil Jordan , author, film director, Aosdána
James Joyce , novelist
Herminie Templeton Kavanagh , author
Patrick Kavanagh ,poet
Adrian Kenny , Aosdána
Benedict Kiely , Saoi of Aosdána
Tom Kilroy , Aosdána
Mary Kusack , the "Nun of Kenmare," patriot and controversialist
Mary Lavin , Saoi of Aosdána
Francis Ledwidge , poet
Michael Longley , Aosdána
Dubhaltach MacFhirbhisigh , genealogist , (k. 1671)
Walter Macken , novelist
James Clarence Mangan poet
F.X. Martin (1922-1999), historian
Fr. Francis Martin , (1652-1714), theologin
Malachi Martin , (1923-2000), horror writer
Mary Letatia Martin , (1815-1850), novelist
Voilet Florence Martin (1862-1915), short-story writer and novelist
Edward Martyn , playwright, art patron and political activist
Martin McDonagh , playwright
John McGahern , novelist, Aosdána
Frank McGuinness , Aosdána
Richard Murphy , poet, Aosdána
Thomas Moore , poet
Christopher Nolan , poet, Aosdána
Edna O'Brien , novelist , Aosdána
Sean O'Casey , playwright
Frank O'Connor , short story writer
Ulick O'Connor , Aosdána
Máirtín Ó Díreáin , great Irish-language poet,Aosdána
Julia Ó Faoláin , Aosdána
Sean O'Faolain , Saoi of Aosdána
Liam O'Flaherty , novelist, short story writer
Brian O'Nolan (aka Myles na Gopaleen , Flann O'Brien ), novelist/columnist
James Plunkett , Aosdána
Deirdre Purcell
George Russell , AE
George Bernard Shaw , novelist, playwright
Richard Brinsley Sheridan , playwright
Laurence Sterne , novelist
Bram Stoker , author of Dracula
Francis Stuart , Saoi of Aosdána
Jonathan Swift , Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral , Dublin , novelist and satirist
John Millington Synge , dramatist
William Trevor , writer, Aosdána
Oscar Wilde , novelist, poet, satirist
William Butler Yeats , poet
Business
Politics
Main list: List of Irish politicians
Science, Education and Technology
John Stewart Bell , physicist
John Desmond Bernal , X-ray crystallography
Robert Boyle
Nicholas Comins , binaural stethoscope
John Boyd Dunlop , pneumatic tyre
William Dargan , engineer
Michael Everson , expert in writing systems and Unicode , born in USA
George Francis FitzGerald , physicist
William Rowan Hamilton , quaternions; mathematical physics
John Phillip Holland , submarine designer
Virginia O'Mahony , President of the Irish Primary Principals Network
George Stokes
Ernest Thomas Sinton Walton , physicist, 1951 Nobel Prize in Physics
Sport
George Best , footballer
Andrew Bree , swimmer
John Pius Boland - double Olympic medal-winner/tennis,1896
Sean Boylan , long-time manager of All-Ireland winning Meath football team
Michael Carruth , Olympic gold medal winner/boxing
Eamonn Coghlan , runner
Gordon D'Arcy , rugby player
Ronnie Delany - Olympic medal winner/athletics
Mick Doyle - rugby player
Damien Duff , footballer
Eamon Dunphy , soccer player turned media commentator and broadcaster
Shay Given , footballer
Padraig Harrington , golfer
Elizabeth Hawkins-Whitshed , 19th century mountaineer
David Humphreys - rugby player
Eddie Irvine , Formula One driver
Pat Jennings , footballer
Robbie Keane , footballer
Roy Keane , footballer
Sean Kelly , cyclist
Michael Kinane , jockey
Dave McAuley , boxer
Willie John McBride - rugby player
Mick McCarthy - former Republic of Ireland football manager
Wayne McCullough - Olymic Silver Medalist/Boxing
Paul McGinley , golfer
Paul McGrath , footballer
Barry McGuigan , boxer
Catherina McKiernan , athlete
Jimmy McLarnin , boxer
Geordan Murphy - rugby player
Pat O'Callaghan - Olympic gold medal/hammer, 1928, 1932
Cian O'Connor - Olympic gold medal/show jumper
Brian O'Driscoll , rugby player
Mick O'Dywer , successful gaelic inter-county football manager
Ronan O'Gara , rugby player
Malcolm O'Kelly , rugby player
Jonjo O'Neill , jockey
Tony O'Reilly - rugby player
Colm O'Rourke , Gaelic Athletic Association GAA footballer
Paidi O'Se , GAA footballer and Westmeath county manager
Sonia O'Sullivan , Olympic medal winner
Niall Quinn , footballer
Stephen Roche , cyclist
Michelle Smith - disgraced Olympic swimming medal-winner
Steve Staunton , footballer
Jim Stynes - Champion Australian Rules footballer
Bob Tisdall - Olympic gold medal/400mH, 1932
John Treacy - Olympic silver medal/marathon, 1984
Ruby Walsh , jockey
Keith Wood , rugby player
Other
Emily O'Reilly - journalist, Ombudsman and Information Commissioner
James Hamilton - Director of Public Prosecutions
Todd Andrews - civil servant
Ryan Tubridy - entertainer
Harry Clarke - stained glass artist
Michael Mills - Ombudsman
Kevin Murphy , Ombudsman and Information Commissioner
Terry Wogan - TV and radio "personality"
Gay Byrne - broadcaster and presenter of the Late Late Show (1962-1999)
Eamonn Andrews - TV personality, producer and businessman
Graham Norton - TV personality and actor
Pat Kenny - broadcaster & presenter of the Late Late Show (1999-present)
George Berkeley - philosopher
Desmond Connell , Cardinal Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland
Lord Eames , Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland
Jim Duffy - Irish advisor to Australia's Republic Advisory Committee
Lord Killanin , former head of the International Olympic Committee
St. Patrick - Welsh born Irish patron saint
St. Brigid - Irish saint and bishop
St. Aidan of Lindisfarne
Dubhaltach MacFhirbhisigh
Dermot Morgan - satirist and star of Father Ted
Lord Mount Charles - rock impressario, owner of Slane Castle , politician
Lord Longford - Gate Theatre manager
Lady Mary Heath - early aviator
Michelle Burke - twice Oscar -winner for make-up
Philip Treacy - milliner
Norah Barnacle - wife of James Joyce
Sir Alfred Chester Beatty
Sir Horace Plunkett - founder of co-operative movement
Kitty O'Shea - mistress of Charles Stewart Parnell
Edward Martyn - co-founder of the Irish Literary Theatre
James Larkin - labour leader
William Martin Murphy - Dublin Employers Association (1911)
Johannes Scotus Erigena - theologian (b. 810)
Ernest Shackleton - explorer
Grace O'Malley - Granuaile ,Gráinne Mhaol , pirate queen
Edward McLysaght - Chief Herald of Ireland , 1943-54
Gerard Slevin - Chief Herald of Ireland , 1954-81
Patricia Donlon - Chief Herald of Ireland , 1995-97
Donal Begley - Chief Herald of Ireland , 1981-95
Brendan O Donoghue - Chief Herald of Ireland , 1997-date
Eliza Lynch , mistress of Francisco López , Paraguayan dictator
Nellie Cashman , gold prospector in the United States; born in County Cork
See also