#DIBLives Limerickman George Browne (d. #OTD 1792) had an extraordinary life: he was a galley slave, part of his skull was repaired with silver plate & he carried a coffin in protest for 10 years when refused permission to retire by Catherine the Great. www.dib.ie/biography/br...

#DIBLives In 1920 the King's Inns benchers resolved "that women shall be admitted on precisely the same terms as men". Averill Deverell (b. #OTD 1893) and Frances Kyle were the first women admitted & on 2 November 1921 Deverell was called to the Irish bar. www.dib.ie/index.php/bi...

#DIBLives Known as ‘Mr Cable’, Wicklow man Robert Halpin (b. #OTD 1836) oversaw the laying of the first transatlantic cables from Ireland to America in 1866, French cable in 1869 & Bombay to Suez cable in 1870 - in all more than 26,000 miles of cable connecting the world. www.dib.ie/biography/ha...

#DIBLives Raised in an orphanage in Cabra, Dublin Thomas ‘Bang Bang’ Dudley ‘fired’ on the citizens of Dublin with a large brass key. Often his ‘victims’ joined in the wild-west pantomime, shooting back, clutching at ‘wounds’ & ‘dropping dead’. He was born #OTD 1906. www.dib.ie/biography/du...

#Women&GirlsinScienceDay Academic & particle physicist Anne Kernan was a huge advocate for women in science, on one occasion funding a trip to CERN for an undergrad she had never met, meeting her at the airport and paying for her accommodation until funding came through. www.dib.ie/biography/ke...

#DIBLives One of the first female surgeons in New York city, Gertrude B. Kelly (b. #OTD 1862) worked in slums & tenements where she frequently assisted poor patients. Her experience undoubtedly contributed to the development of her activist political views. www.dib.ie/index.php/bi...

#DIBblog With Irish actors, writers & filmmakers nominated in this year's Academy awards, our latest blog looks at some of our earliest Oscar nominees & winners including Fr Edward J. Flanagan, an Oscar ‘winner’ who was never actually nominated for an Academy award. www.dib.ie/blog/spotlig...

#NewDIBLives As a geographer, Dr Anne Buttimer placed human lived experiences at the centre of geographical studies. Amongst many other honours and awards, in 2012 she won the Vautrin Lud prize, widely regarded as the discipline of geography’s equivalent of a Nobel prize. www.dib.ie/biography/bu...

#NewDIBLives Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave's time in office coincided with a period of grave economic difficulty, exacerbated by violence in the North and his own conservatism. Hall’s Pictorial Weekly nicknamed his finance minister ‘Richie Ruin, minister for hardship’. www.dib.ie/biography/co...

#NewDIBLives 'She was the unscary center of it all...a force of steadiness & calm.’ The first Irishwoman to hold a Michelin star, Myrtle Allen's philosophy of cooking was grounded in seasonality, simplicity & respect for ingredients - revolutionary ideas in 1960s Ireland. www.dib.ie/biography/al...

‘From the cabins and the ditches, in their charred, uncoffin'd masses...’ In Jan. 1847 The Nation magazine published poet, nationalist & feminist Jane 'Speranza' Wilde's (d. #OTD 1896) poem 'The Famine Year', the first major poetic response to the Great Famine. www.dib.ie/biography/wi... #DIBLives

Everybody knew, nobody said’. #OTD in 1984, Ann Lovett lay down in the rain in the grotto behind St Mary's Church, Granard & gave birth to a full-term baby boy. She was found alive around 4pm by three schoolboys but died later that day. www.dib.ie/biography/lo... #DIBLives

"On Raglan Road on an autumn day I met her first and knew That her dark hair would weave a snare that I might one day rue." After hearing Luke Kelly (d. #OTD 1984) singing in the Bailey pub, poet Patrick Kavanagh requested he interpret his poem ‘On Raglan Road’. www.dib.ie/biography/ke... #DIBLives

We are delighted to announce the publication of our first quarterly newsletter LifeLines: News from the Dictionary of Irish Biography. You can read it here: mailchi.mp/ria.ie/grang... And sign up here: mailchi.mp/d44f57115e53...

'All the best spies eat at Gaj's'. B. #OTD 1919, Margaret Gaj’s eatery in the heart of 'Baggatonia' welcomed a diverse clientele. Garda special branch often dropped in to check who was there, leading the restaurant to advertise 'All the best spies eat at Gaj's'. www.dib.ie/biography/ga... #DIBLives

Every evening Mnsgr Hugh O'Flaherty stood on the steps of St Peter's Basilica in view of armed German soldiers, making himself available to Jews, dissidents, deserters & Allied soldiers. More than 4,000 escaped occupied Rome with his help. www.dib.ie/biography/of... #HolocaustMemorialDay #DIBLives

On its opening night #OTD 1907, J. M. Synge's ‘Playboy of the Western World’ caused riots in the Abbey Theatre. His portrayal of the Irish as a drunken, feckless peasantry caused outrage, as did the mention of ladies' undergarments. www.dib.ie/biography/sy... #DIBLives @ria.ie

Like many women who took part in the 1916 Rising & fight for Irish independence, Nellie Bushell's (b. #OTD 1884) contribution has remained largely unacknowledged. Despite receiving the 1916 medal & service medal, the State awarded her the lowest possible pension. www.dib.ie/biography/bu... #DIBLives

Born #OTD 1931, Evelyn Owens was a true pioneer: the first female president of an Irish trade union for both sexes, the first woman to chair the Labour Court and, as a member of the presidential commission, the first woman to sign an Irish bill into law. www.dib.ie/biography/ow... #DIBLives

In late 1942 Gen. Eisenhower appointed Cork woman Kay Summersby (d. #OTD 1975) to his staff as his secretary, chauffeur and confidante. Travelling to North Africa to assist him in his work, she survived her ship being torpedoed & arrived in a lifeboat. www.dib.ie/biography/su... #DIBLives @ria.ie

#DIBBlog ‘Sé seo stáisiún 2RN Baile Átha Cliath ag triail’ (This is 2RN Dublin testing). Séamus Hughes' words, broadcast on 14 Nov. 1925, marked the dawn of Irish broadcasting. Read our new blog by Dr Finola Doyle-O'Neill, first published by @rtebrainstorm.bsky.social. www.dib.ie/blog/2rn-and...

#NewDIBLives Educational pioneer & entrepreneur Noelle Clery established the Language Centre of Ireland in 1966, one of the first language schools in Ireland. By 1969 it catered to over 1,000 summer students from 25 countries, with another 300 attending winter courses. www.dib.ie/biography/cl...

#NewDIBLives 'The Quintessential Kerryman'. Dan Nolan, managing director of 'The Kerryman' & founder of Anvil Books, was one of 5 businesspeople who met in Harty’s pub, Tralee in 1958 to propose an annual carnival, now known as The Rose of Tralee International Festival. www.dib.ie/biography/no...

#NewDIBLives In 1924 medical officer & naturalist Richard Hingston was part of the British-led expedition to Mt Everest. He formed a close rapport with climbing leader George Mallory & was among the last to see him & Andrew Irvine alive before they disappeared. www.dib.ie/biography/hi...

#DIBNewLives Formally titled ‘Haddock’s exhibition of Androides; or, wonderful imitations of human nature’, Marsden Haddock's show opened in April 1794 and featured robotic figures, or 'Androides. Considering himself an inventor, he styled his venue the Mechanic Theatre. www.dib.ie/biography/ha...

#NewDIBLives In the summer of 1688 Irish-born Goody (Goodwife) Glover was accused of witchcraft. She was tried, found guilty and hanged on 16 November & was the last person executed in Boston as a witch. Her tercentenary was commemorated on 16 November 1988. www.dib.ie/biography/gl... @ria.ie

#NollaignamBan During WWII Kay McNulty was one of the women who devised processing routines for the ENIAC machine, establishing how artificial intelligence developed. At the public launch in 1946 the women programmers were relegated to the role of hostesses. www.dib.ie/biography/mc...

#NollaignamBan Arrested & tortured for her part in the French Resistance during WWII, Sr Kate McCarthy endured 3 years of interrogation, solitary confinement & imprisonment before being sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp. She was liberated on 25 April 1945. www.dib.ie/biography/mc... #DIBLives

#NollaignamBan The first woman admitted to the all-male Royal Astronomical Society, Agnes Mary Clerke's analyses were so reliable, thoughtful & wide reaching that she became a revered authority. The Clerke lunar crater was named to commemorate her. www.dib.ie/biography/cl... #DIBLives

Nollaig na mBan faoi mhaise dhaoibh! suffragist, trade unionist & peace activist Louie (Louisa) Bennett was the first female president of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Throughout her life she consistently condemned colonialism, fascism & armaments expenditure. www.dib.ie/biography/be... #DIBLives

This week we are featuring some extraordinary Irish women in honour of #NollaignamBan. Mary Ann McCracken campaigned for the abolition of slavery, and argued that the liberty and equality sought by the United Irishmen should be extended to women. www.dib.ie/biography/mc... #DIBLives @ria.ie

How Newgrange's spectacular Solstice light show was rediscovered. Those who flock to Newgrange on 21 December owe much to the excavation work of archaeologist Michael J O'Kelly in the 1960s, writes Terry Clavin @dib.ie @ria.ie www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2...

It’s that magical time of year. This December, our Christmas blog explores the Irish traditions that have stuck (and those that haven’t) across the centuries so put on your Rudolph PJs, pour yourself a cup of something festive & enjoy a feast of Christmases past. www.dib.ie/blog/switzer...

"There’s something about Christmas. There’s something about it that creeps inside and finds the child in you." In 1994 advertisers Catherine Donnelly & Peter Caffrey created one of Ireland's longest running & most beloved radio ads for Barry's Tea. www.dib.ie/biography/do... #DIBLives @ria.ie

This week we are featuring all things Christmassy, starting with Queen of Pantomime, Maureen Potter. Exuding enthusiasm & delight, her signature closing line was 'If you liked the show tell your friends; if you didn't, keep your breath to cool your porridge'. www.dib.ie/biography/po... #DIBLives

Congratulations to Joseph O'Connor on receiving the An Post Irish Book of the Year award for his novel 'The Ghosts of Rome', a fictional version of the Rome escape line set up and led by Irish priest Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty. Read Msgr O'Flaherty's biography here: www.dib.ie/biography/of...

10 December is the anniversary of the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights. "When I landed in the republic of conscience It was so noiseless when the engines stopped. I could hear a curlew high above the runway." (Seamus Heaney, 'From the Republic of Conscience') www.dib.ie/biography/he...

Needless to say I’m delighted about this. It was super to work with Simon Neal, who re-catalogued more than 70 volumes; to collaborate with Eamonn Kenny @adaptcentre.bsky.social who knocked the data into shape; and to incorporate it into the Knowledge Graph we’re building, based on @dib.ie entries

'A natural orator, with so keen a sense of the turn of phrase and the lifting rhythm appropriate to Irish, that her words could be written down as they leave her lips and they would have the effect of literature.' Storyteller Peig Sayers died #OTD 1958. www.dib.ie/biography/sa...

An articulate and effective representative, Tony Gregory (born #OTD 1947) drew attention to the poorest and most neglected parts of Dublin city. As a TD he highlighted issues often ignored by the mainstream, such as the impact of heroin addiction. www.dib.ie/biography/gr...

Author Kate O'Brien was daring and unflinching in her writing, poet Eavan Boland termed her the Irish writer who meant most to her; the writer John McGahern called her a poet working in prose. She was born #OTD in 1897. www.dib.ie/biography/ob...

On 21 Dec 1967 Prof Michael O'Kelly watched a beam of light strike the floor & creep forwards to illuminate the high, rock-vaulted chamber at Newgrange. @dib.ie's Terry Clavin considers the strangely muted response to prehistoric Ireland’s spectacular feat of engineering. www.dib.ie/blog/newgran...

#DIBNewLives Patricia Ryan’s influence on the development of ballet in Ireland was immense, if underappreciated in her lifetime. Students of her school, the National Ballet School, performed in the first ever television broadcast by Telefís Éireann on 31 December 1961. www.dib.ie/biography/ry...

#DIBNewLives With a broadcasting career spanning nearly 60 years, Jimmy 'the Memory man’ Magee had one of the most recognisable voices on Irish radio & television. He commentated on an incredible 15 Olympic games, including Katie Taylor's gold medal-winning fight in 2012. www.dib.ie/biography/ma...

Wonderful to see RTE featuring the biography of pioneering computer engineer Kay McNulty from our new publication 'Irish STEM Lives', edited by DIB's Turlough O'Riordan and Professor Jane Grimson. www.rte.ie/culture/2025...

#DIBNewLives A fearless champion of equality, fairness & justice, Ann Louise Gilligan is remembered as ‘the spark that lit the marriage equality movement’. The court case to recognise her marriage to Katherine Zappone sparked the decade-long fight for marriage equality. www.dib.ie/biography/gi...

#DIBNewLives Geneticist Patrick 'Mike' Conneally was part of the team that localised the genetic markers linked to Huntingdon's Disease and Alzheimer's. The approaches they developed have been widely utilised, including in what became known as the Human Genome Project. www.dib.ie/biography/co...

#DIBNewLives Loyalist politician & community activist Glen Barr established personal relations with individuals across the divide, suggesting his professed desire for reconciliation was as sincere as his commitment to defend & articulate the Protestant working class. www.dib.ie/biography/ba...

We are so proud to see the impact Joe Rodgers continues to have on Irish historical research. Read his entry about Thomas Gresham, which was added to the @historydib.bsky.social this week www.dib.ie/biography/gr...

(That should be John Thomas Troy!) oh for an edit button! You can read his full bio here @dib.ie www.dib.ie/biography/tr...