List of Irish people
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This is a list of notable Irish people who were born on the island of Ireland, in either the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland, and have lived there for most of their lives. Also included on the list are people who were not born in Ireland, but have been raised as Irish, have lived there for most of their lives or in regards to the Republic of Ireland, have adopted Irish citizenship (e.g., Daniel Day-Lewis). The names are sorted by surname.
Contents
Art
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Architecture
- George Ashlin
- Angela Brady
- George Drumgoole Coleman
- Sir Thomas Drew
- Yvonne Farrell
- Eileen Gray
- James Hoban – designer of the White House
- Francis Johnston
- Sheila O'Donnell
- Thomas Parke
- Edward Lovett Pearce
- Kevin Roche
- Michael Scott
Actors
- Sara Allgood – actress
- Jonas Armstrong – actor, star of the BBC series Robin Hood
- Spranger Barry – actor
- Patrick Bergin – film actor
- Sarah Bolger – actress, played Princess Mary Tudor in The Tudors; Spiderwick Chronicles; Princess Aurora in Once Upon a Time
- Stephen Boyd – film actor
- Kenneth Branagh – actor on stage, film and TV, the Harry Potter movies
- Brid Brennan – actress
- George Brent – Hollywood actor
- Harry Brogan – actor
- Pierce Brosnan – actor, best known as James Bond from 1994 to 2005
- Gabriel Byrne – TV and film actor
- Todd Carty – TV, stage and film actor and director
- Elaine Cassidy – film actress
- Tony Clarkin – actor of stage, TV, radio, film; voiceover artist
- Michael Colgan – actor
- Kerry Condon – actress
- D'Arcy Corrigan – Hollywood actor
- Catherine Cusack – stage and TV actor; daughter of Cyril Cusack
- Cyril Cusack – actor of stage, film and TV (born in South Africa)
- Niamh Cusack – TV actress; daughter of Cyril Cusack
- Sinéad Cusack – stage, film and TV actress; daughter of Cyril Cusack; married to Jeremy Irons
- Sorcha Cusack – film and TV actress; daughter of Cyril Cusack
- Daniel Day-Lewis – English-born Oscar winner
- Thomas Doggett – actor
- Alison Doody – actress, best known for her role in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
- Jamie Dornan - actor and former model; played the Huntsman in Once Upon a Time; best known for roles in The Fall and Fifty Shades of Grey
- Roma Downey – actor, best known for her role as Monica in the TV series Touched by an Angel
- Ada Dyas – actress
- Hilton Edwards – co-founder of the Gate Theatre, born in UK
- Colin Farrell – Hollywood actor
- Michael Fassbender – Hollywood actor, born in West Germany
- Barry Fitzgerald – Abbey Theatre actor turned Hollywood star
- Fionnula Flanagan – actress
- Brenda Fricker – Oscar winner
- Bronagh Gallagher – actress
- Michael Gambon – theatre, TV and film actor, Harry Potter films
- Charles K. Gerrard – Hollywood actor
- Douglas Gerrard – Hollywood actor
- Aidan Gillen – actor, The Wire, Game of Thrones, Queer as Folk
- Brendan Gleeson – actor, Harry Potter films
- Brian Gleeson – actor
- Domhnall Gleeson – actor
- Richard Harris – actor, Harry Potter films
- Forrester Harvey – Hollywood actor
- Amy Joyce Hastings – actress
- Amy Huberman – actress
- Valene Kane - actress, The Fading Light
- Brendan Kelly – actor
- David Kelly – actor
- J. M. Kerrigan – Abbey actor
- Joanne King – actress
- Dervla Kirwan – actress, Ballykissangel, Goodnight Sweetheart
- Evanna Lynch – actress,Harry Potter films
- Joe Lynch – TV actor
- John Lynch - actor
- Micheál Mac Liammhóir – co-founder of the Gate Theatre, born in UK
- Gerard McCarthy – actor, Hollyoaks
- Sean McClory - actor
- F. J. McCormick – Abbey actor
- Damian McGinty - TV actor Glee
- Patrick McGoohan – actor and creator of The Prisoner
- Barry McGovern – stage, film and TV actor
- Katie McGrath – film and TV actress
- Gerard McSorley - actor
- Colm Meaney – Hollywood actor
- Jonathan Rhys Meyers – film and TV actor
- Charles Mitchel – actor and newsreader
- Damien Molony - (stage and television actor)
- Colin Morgan – actor of stage, film and TV, best known for being the lead in Merlin
- Edward Mulhare – actor; played Captain Daniel Gregg in The Ghost and Mrs. Muir; Knight Rider
- Cillian Murphy – actor
- Devon Murray – actor, Seamus Finnigan in the Harry Potter movies
- Liam Neeson – actor
- James Nesbitt - actor
- Jim Norton – character actor
- Colin O'Donoghue - actor, former member of The Enemies; best known for playing Captain Hook in Once Upon A Time
- Chris O'Dowd – actor and comedian
- Ardal O'Hanlon – actor and comedian
- Joan O'Hara – actress
- Maureen O'Hara – actress
- Jason O'Mara - actor
- Milo O'Shea – actor
- Maureen O'Sullivan – actor; mother of Mia Farrow
- Peter O'Toole – Oscar winner
- Glenn Quinn – actor
- Stephen Rea – actor
- Jack Reynor - actor
- Paul Ronan - actor, The Devil's Own; father of Saoirse Ronan
- Saoirse Ronan – actress
- Andrew Scott - film, stage and television actor
- Fiona Shaw – actress, the Harry Potter movies
- Robert Sheehan - actor
- Arthur Shields – actor; younger brother of Barry Fitzgerald
- Niall Tóibín – actor and comedian
- Stuart Townsend – actor and boxer
- Aidan Turner – actor, played John Mitchell in the BBC's Being Human and Kili in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
- Richard Wall - actor
Comedians
See also Category:Irish comedians
- Dave Allen
- Aisling Bea
- Ed Byrne
- Jimmy Carr
- Risteárd Cooper
- Neil Delamere
- PJ Gallagher
- Brendan Grace
- Sean Hughes
- Jon Kenny
- Denis Leary
- Andrew Maxwell
- Tim McGarry
- Dylan Moran
- Dermot Morgan - comedian, actor, radio personality
- Colin Murphy
- Graham Norton
- Dara Ó Briain
- Ardal O'Hanlon
- Hector Ó hEochagáin
- Jimmy O'Dea
- David O'Doherty
- Deirdre O'Kane
- Jarlath Regan - comedian, journalist, interviewer, author, cartoonist
- Pat Shortt
- Tommy Tiernan
Music
Music – A to C
- Chloë Agnew - singer
- Gerald Barry – Aosdána
- Derek Bell – harpist
- Ed Bennett – composer
- Mary Bergin – tin whistler
- Big Tom – lead singer of Big Tom and The Mainliners
- Wallis Bird – singer, songwriter
- Frances Black – singer
- Mary Black – singer
- Bono – lead singer of U2
- Ciaran Bourke – singer/guitarist
- Brian Boydell – composer
- Brídín Brennan – singer
- Moya Brennan – musician
- Niall Breslin - lead singer of The Blizzards
- Chris de Burgh - singer, songwriter, musician
- Joe Burke – accordionist
- Kevin Burke – fiddler
- Nicky Byrne – singer of Westlife, songwriter
- Eamonn Campbell – guitarist, producer
- Vivian Campbell – co-lead guitarist of Def Leppard
- Seán Cannon – singer, guitarist
- Paddy Casey – singer/songwriter
- Patrick Cassidy – composer
- Mic Christopher - singer/songwriter
- Bobby Clancy - singer, banjo, guitar, harmonica, and bodhrán player
- Liam Clancy - singer, guitarist
- Paddy Clancy - singer, harmonica player
- Tom Clancy - singer
- Willie Clancy – uilleann piper
- Julia Clifford – traditional fiddle player
- Michael Coleman – fiddler
- Finghin Collins – pianist
- Tadhg Cooke – singer
- Phil Coulter – composer
- Nadine Coyle – singer
Music – D to K
- Damien Dempsey – singer/songwriter
- Mike Denver - singer
- Joe Dolan - singer/entertainer
- Ryan Dolan - singer/songwriter
- Ronnie Drew – singer, guitarist
- Keith Duffy - singer of Boyzone
- The Edge – guitarist, singer of U2
- Kian Egan – singer of Westlife, songwriter
- Séamus Ennis – uilleann piper
- Enya – singer/songwriter
- Órla Fallon – singer, harpist
- Ciarán Farrell – composer
- Mark Feehily - singer of Westlife, songwriter
- Angela Feeney – opera singer
- John Field – composer; creator of the nocturne
- Shane Filan – singer of Westlife, songwriter
- Mick Flannery – singer/songwriter
- W. H. Grattan Flood – author and musicologist
- Dave Flynn – award-winning composer, guitarist and singer-songwriter
- Gavin Friday – singer
- Finbar Furey - singer/ songwriter, uillean piper, 5-string banjo player, actor
- Rory Gallagher – blues/rock guitarist
- Sir James Galway – flautist
- Bobby Gardiner – accordionist
- Stephen Gately - singer of Boyzone
- Mark Geary – singer
- Bob Geldof – songwriter, singer of the Boomtown Rats, activist
- Len Graham - singer
- Michael Graham - singer of Boyzone
- Bernadette Greevy – mezzo-soprano
- John and Edward Grimes – X Factor 2009
- Marc Gunn – autoharper, singer/songwriter, and podcaster, formerly of the Brobdingnagian Bards
- Carmel Gunning – tin whistler
- Lisa Hannigan – singer/songwriter
- Glen Hansard – Oscar-winning singer/songwriter
- Hamilton Harty – composer and arranger
- Catherine Hayes – opera singer
- Gemma Hayes – singer
- Una Healy - member of girl band The Saturdays
- Christie Hennessy – singer/songwriter
- Paul David Hewson – also known as Bono, lead singer and principal lyricist of U2
- Niall Horan - member of British-Irish boy band One Direction
- Hozier - musician and singer-songwriter
- Red Hurley – singer
- Brian Irvine – composer
- Fergus Johnston – Aosdána
- Siva Kaneswaran - member of boy band The Wanted
- Dolores Keane – singer
- Richard Kearns – classical composer
- Ronan Keating – singer/songwriter
- Paddy Keenan – uilleann piper
- Lisa Kelly – singer
- Luke Kelly – singer
- Brian Kennedy – singer
- Paddy Killoran – fiddler
- Katie Kim - singer/songwriter, musician
- Dave King – singer/songwriter
- David Kitt – musician
Music – L to P
- Damien Leith – singer/songwriter, winner of Australian Idol 2006
- Gary Lightbody - lead singer of Snow Patrol
- Josef Locke – singer
- Johnny Logan – singer/songwriter
- Cora Venus Lunny – violinist
- Dónal Lunny – musician
- Shane Lynch - singer of Boyzone
- Phil Lynott – Thin Lizzy frontman
- Jimmy MacCarthy – singer/songwriter
- Mickey MacConnell – singer/songwriter
- Shane MacGowan – English-born singer/songwriter
- Sean Mackin – backup vocals and violinist of Yellowcard
- Sean Maguire – violinist
- Sarah Makem – singer
- Tommy Makem – singer-songwriter
- Enda Markey – singer
- Philip Martin – pianist, Aosdána
- Gwendolyn Masin - violinist, author, pedagogue
- Larry Mathews – singer/songwriter, violinist
- John Count McCormack – singer
- Eleanor McEvoy – singer/songwriter
- Brian McFadden – singer/songwriter
- Damian McGinty – Celtic Thunder; played Rory Flanagan on Glee
- Geraldine McGowan – folk singer
- Barney McKenna – banjo player
- Susan McKeown – Grammy Award-winning vocalist and songwriter
- Geraldine McMahon – harpist
- Paul McSherry – guitarist
- Patrick Monahan – singer/songwriter; solo artist; member of Train
- Christy Moore – singer/songwriter
- Gary Moore – guitarist, singer/songwriter
- Van Morrison – singer/songwriter
- Lee Mulhern – singer/songwriter
- Samantha Mumba – singer, actress
- Mundy – singer/songwriter
- John Murphy – fiddle player
- Róisín Murphy – singer
- Ruby Murray – singer
- Máiréad Nesbitt - fiddler
- Méav Ní Mhaolchatha - singer
- Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh – musician
- Pádraigín Ní Uallacháin – singer
- Turlough O'Carolan – 17th-century harpist and composer ("Last of the Bards")
- Colm Ó Cíosóig – musician, drummer of My Bloody Valentine
- Dáithí O'Cléirigh – percussionist, producer
- Maura O'Connell – singer
- Máirtín O'Connor – accordionist
- Sinéad O'Connor – singer
- Daniel O'Donnell – country-and-western singer
- Danny O'Donoghue - lead singer of The Script
- Liam O'Flynn – uilleann piper
- Mary O'Hara – harpist/singer
- Mícheál Ó hEidhin – musician
- Damian O'Neill - lead guitarist of The Undertones
- John O'Neill - guitarist of The Undertones; writer of Teenage Kicks
- Seán Ó Riada – composer and musician
- Dolores O'Riordan – singer/songwriter, guitarist
- Gilbert O'Sullivan – pop singer, songwriter, pianist
- Una Palliser - violinist, violist, singer
- Tommy Peoples – fiddler
- Brendan Phelan - songwriter
- Glen Power - drums, The Script
Music – Q to Z
- Carmel Quinn – singer
- Paddy Reilly – singer/guitarist
- Damien Rice – singer/songwriter
- Leo Rowsome – uilleann piper
- Derek Ryan
- Frank Ryan – tenor
- Dana Rosemary Scallon – MEP-singer turned politician
- Sharon Shannon – traditional musician
- Feargal Sharkey - lead singer of The Undertones
- John Sheahan – fiddler
- Mark Sheehan – guitarist of The Script
- Kevin Shields – musician, vocalist and guitarist of My Bloody Valentine
- Chris Singleton – singer/songwriter
- Donal Skehan – singer
- Carly Smithson – singer
- Patsy Touhey – piper
- Paddy Tunney – singer
- Liam Weldon – singer, songwriter
- Andy White – singer/songwriter
- Colm Wilkinson - singer
- Ian Wilson - composer
- James Wilson - composer
Dance
- Breandán de Gallaí – Irish dancer
- Joanne Doyle – Irish dancer
- Monica Loughman – ballet
- Tristan MacManus – ballroom and Latin dancer, Dancing with the Stars, US season 13
- Lola Montez (Eliza Gilbert) – dancer, courtesan
- Dame Ninette de Valois – ballet
- Bill Whelan – composer
Writing
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Writing – A to C
- William Allingham – poet
- John Banville – novelist
- George Barrington
- Sebastian Barry – novelist
- Brendan Behan – playwright, novelist
- Maeve Binchy – novelist
- Dermot Bolger – novelist
- Patrick Brontë – poet
- Stephen Brown – writer, bibliographer
- J. B. Bury – historian
- William Carleton – novelist
- Austin Clarke
- Brian Cleeve – author
- Brian Coffey – poet
- Eoin Colfer – author
- Eoghan Corry – journalist and author
- Sister Margaret Anna Cusack – the "Nun of Kenmare", patriot and controversialist
Writing – D to K
- Thomas Osborne Davis – writer, poet
- Seamus Deane – Aosdána
- Patrick Deeley - poet
- Eamon Delaney
- Frank Delaney
- Greg Delanty – poet
- Denis Devlin – poet
- Roddy Doyle – novelist
- Margaretta Eagar – memoirist
- Garth Ennis – comic writer
- Sir Samuel Ferguson – poet
- Roderick Flanagan – historian
- Brian Friel – playwright, Aosdána
- Oliver St. John Gogarty
- Oliver Goldsmith – novelist and dramatist
- Augusta, Lady Gregory – playwright and founder of the Abbey Theatre
- Hugo Hamilton – author
- Dermot Healy – Aosdána
- Randolph Healy – poet
- Seamus Heaney – Saoi of Aosdána, Nobel Laureate
- Aidan Higgins – Aosdána
- Pat Ingoldsby – poet, playwright, television performer
- Jennifer Johnston – Aosdána
- Neil Jordan – author, film director, Aosdána
- James Joyce – novelist
- Trevor Joyce – poet
- Herminie Templeton Kavanagh – author
- Patrick Kavanagh – poet
- John B. Keane - playwright, novelist and essayist
- Benedict Kiely – Saoi of Aosdána
- Caitlín R. Kiernan – American novelist and paleontologist
- Anatoly Kudryavitsky – poet
Writing – L to P
- Derek Landy – Skulduggery Pleasant series
- Mary Lavin – Saoi of Aosdána
- Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu – gothic novelist
- Francis Ledwidge – poet
- C. S. Lewis – author of the Chronicles of Narnia
- Michael Longley – Aosdána
- Seosamh Mac Grianna – Gaelic author
- Oliver MacDonagh – historian
- Walter Macken – novelist
- James Clarence Mangan – poet
- Malachi Martin – horror writer
- Edward Martyn – playwright, art patron and political activist
- Frank McCourt – writer
- Martin McDonagh – playwright
- Hugh McFadden – poet and critic
- John McGahern – novelist, Aosdána
- Frank McGuinness – Aosdána
- Gerard McKeown – writer
- Paula Meehan – poet
- John Montague – poet
- Thomas Moore – poet
- Paul Muldoon – poet
- Richard Murphy – poet, Aosdána
- Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill – poet
- Christopher Nolan – poet, Aosdána
- Edna O'Brien – novelist, Aosdána
- Seán O'Casey – playwright
- Frank O'Connor – short story writer
- Ulick O'Connor – Aosdána
- Máirtín Ó Direáin – Irish-language poet, Aosdána
- Peadar O'Donnell – novelist, autobiographer and revolutionary
- Harry O'Donovan – scriptwriter
- Dennis O'Driscoll – poet
- Seán Ó Faoláin – Saoi of Aosdána
- Liam O'Flaherty – novelist, short story writer
- Brian O'Nolan (aka Myles na gCopaleen – Flann O'Brien) – novelist, columnist
- Philip O'Sullivan Beare - writer, historian
- James Plunkett - Aosdána
Writing – R to Z
- Gabriel Rosenstock – poet
- George William Russell – writer and critic
- Maurice Scully – poet
- Darren Shan - novelist, author of The Saga of Darren Shan
- George Bernard Shaw – novelist, playwright
- John D. Sheridan - short story writer and humorist
- Richard Brinsley Sheridan – playwright
- James Simmons – poet
- Michael Smith – poet
- Paul Smith – novelist, playwright
- Annie M. P. Smithson – novelist
- Geoffrey Squires – poet
- 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
- Twenty Major - blogger and author
- William Trevor – writer, Aosdána
- William Wall – novelist, poet
- Oscar Wilde – novelist, poet, satirist
- Macdara Woods – poet
- Maev-Ann Wren – writer
- William Butler Yeats – poet and Nobel laureate
Business
- Donie Cassidy – businessman and TD
- Elaine Coughlan - venture capitalist
- Bill Cullen - businessman, philanthropist and media personality
- Niall FitzGerald – honorary KBE, chief executive of Unilever
- James Gamble – co-founder of Procter & Gamble
- Arthur Guinness – brewer
- Pat McDonagh – founder of Supermac's
- J. P. McManus – businessman
- Denis O'Brien – businessman
- Michael O'Leary – CEO of Ryanair
- Anthony J F O'Reilly – Independent Newspapers and head of Heinz, 1979–1996
- David J. O'Reilly – CEO of Chevron
- Tony Ryan – founder of Ryanair and Guinness Peat Aviation
- Peter Sutherland – Chairman of BP Plc; Chairman of Goldman Sachs International; formerly Ireland's representative at the European Commission
Science, education and technology
- Robert Adrain (1775–1843) – scientist, mathematician and United Irishman
- Thomas Andrews (1813-1885) – chemist and physicist
- Francis Beaufort (1774–1857) – hydrographer, developed a scale for classifying wind strength
- John Stewart Bell (1928–1990) – atomic physicist, 'Bell's Inequalities'
- John Desmond Bernal (1901–1971) – X-ray crystallography
- Robert Boyle (1627–1691) – physicist, 'Boyle's law'
- Louis Brennan (1852–1932) – principle of a guided missile, wire-guided torpedo
- Pádraig de Brún (1889–1960) – scholar and mathematician
- Lucien Bull (1876–1972) – high speed photography, modern electrocardiogram (ECG)
- Jocelyn Bell Burnell (1943– ) – discovered pulsars
- Nicholas Callan (1799–1864) – inventor of the induction coil and discoverer the principle of the dynamo
- Aeneas Coffey (1780–1852) – heat exchanger, inventor of the column still
- William Monad Crawford – entomologist
- Shane Curran - software developer, entrepreneur
- William Dargan – railway engineer
- David Doak (b. 1967) - scientist, video game developer and entrepreneur
- Frederick G. Donnan – chemist
- Michael Everson – expert in writing systems and Unicode, born in USA
- Harry Ferguson – engineer, designer of the modern farm tractor, inventor of the three-point hitch
- George FitzGerald (1851–1901) – theoretical physicist, 'FitzGerald-Lorentz Contraction'
- John Robert Gregg (1868–1948) – Gregg shorthand system
- William Rowan Hamilton – quaternions; mathematical physics
- John Philip Holland (1841–1914) – submarine designer
- Ellen Hutchins (1785–1815) – botanist
- John Joly (1857–1933)- photometer, colour photography
- Richard Kirwan (1733–1812) – meteorologist
- Robert Mallet (1810–1881) – seismology
- Alexander Mitchell (1780–1868) – lighthouse and marine engineer
- Richard O'Keefe – computer scientist
- Frank Pantridge (1916-2004) – inventor of the mobile defibrillator
- Dorothy Price (1890–1954) – physician who introduced the BCG tuberculosis vaccine to Ireland
- Sir George Stokes, 1st Baronet (1819–1903) – mathematician, physicist, 'Stokes Theorem' and Stokes-Navier Equations'
- George Johnstone Stoney (1826–1911) – atomic physicist, named the electron and measured its charge
- John Lighton Synge (1897–1995) – mathematician
- William Thomson, Lord Kelvin (1824–1907) - physicist
- John Tyndall (1820–1893) – physicist
- Ernest Walton (1903-1995) – physicist, 1951 Nobel Prize in Physics
- Mary Ward (1827–1869)- microscopist
- John Richardson Wigham (1829–1906) – inventor and lighthouse engineer
- Thomas Wynne (1942–2005) - inventor, mechanic and engineer
Sport
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- George Best – soccer player (Northern Ireland)
- John Pius Boland – double Olympic medal-winner, tennis,1896
- Packie Bonner – soccer player
- Andre Botha – cricketer
- Jeremy Bray – cricketer
- Andrew Bree – swimmer
- Kenny Carroll – cricketer
- Michael Carruth – Olympic gold medal winner, boxing
- Eamonn Coghlan – runner
- Séamus Coleman – footballer
- Enda Colleran – Gaelic footballer, member of the Football Team of the Millennium
- Ray Cummins – member of the hurling Team of the Millennium
- Brendan Cusack - fencer
- Liam Daish – soccer player
- Gordon D'Arcy – rugby union player
- Paul Darragh – showjumper
- Ron Delany – Olympic medal winner/athletics
- Fergal Devitt - current WWE wrestler
- Ken Doherty – former World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association champion
- John Doyle – member of the hurling Team of the Millennium
- Mick Doyle – rugby union player
- Damien Duff – soccer player
- Joey Dunlop – motorcycle racer, 26 times Isle of Man TT race winner
- Eamon Dunphy – former soccer player, media commentator and broadcaster
- Kieran Dynes – NASCAR driver
- Seamus Elliott – professional cyclist
- Jonny Evans - Northern Irish footballer
- Stephen Farrelly – current WWE wrestler
- Dave Finlay – former WWE wrestler
- Ciaran Fitzgerald – rugby union player; British and Irish Lions captain
- Seán Flanagan – Gaelic footballer, member of the Football Team of the Millennium
- Sharon Foley – track and field athlete
- Carl Frampton - boxer
- Mick Galwey – rugby player
- Edmond Gibney – equestrian
- Darron Gibson – soccer player
- Johnny Giles – soccer player
- Peter Gillespie – cricketer
- Shay Given – soccer player
- Pádraig Harrington – golfer and three time Golf Majors winner
- Elizabeth Hawkins-Whitshed – 19th-century mountaineer
- David Healy – soccer player (Northern Ireland)
- Kevin Heffernan – Gaelic footballer, member of the Football Team of the Millennium
- Denis Hickie – rugby union player
- Ray Houghton – soccer player
- Denis Irwin – soccer player
- Trent Johnston – cricketer
- Eddie Jordan – racing driver and Formula 1 team owner
- John Keane – member of the hurling Team of the Millennium
- Robbie Keane – soccer player
- Roy Keane – soccer player
- Eddie Keher – member of the hurling Team of the Millennium
- Seán Kelly – cyclist
- Joe Keohane – Gaelic footballer, member of the Football Team of the Millennium
- Kevin Kilbane – soccer player
- Michael Kinane – jockey
- Ham Lambert – rugby union and cricket player
- Tommy Langan – Gaelic footballer, member of the Football Team of the Millennium
- Dave Langford-Smith – cricketer
- Jim Langton – member of the hurling Team of the Millennium
- Liam Lawrence - soccer player for Shrewsbury Town FC and former Republic of Ireland international
- Alan Lewis – rugby union referee
- Jack Lynch – member of the hurling Team of the Millennium, politician
- Eddie Macken – horse showjumper
- Mick Mackey – member of the hurling Team of the Millennium
- Owen Madden – soccer player
- Dan Marten – cyclist
- Dave McAuley – boxer
- Kevin McBride – boxer
- Willie John McBride – rugby union player and British and Irish Lions captain
- Kyle McCallan – cricketer
- David McCann – cyclist
- Mick McCarthy – soccer player and former Republic of Ireland soccer manager
- Wayne McCullough – Olympic silver medalist; WBC World Boxing Champion
- Paul McGinley – golfer
- Owen Roe McGovern - former Gaelic football player for Cavan; an All-Ireland player
- Paul McGrath – soccer player
- Conor McGregor - mixed martial artist
- Barry McGuigan – former world Featherweight boxing champion
- Catherina McKiernan – track and field athlete
- Jimmy McLarnin – boxer
- Lory Meagher – member of the hurling Team of the Millennium
- Jason Molins – cricketer
- John Mooney – cricketer
- Paul Mooney – cricketer
- Eoin Morgan – cricketer
- Geordan Murphy – rugby union player
- Seán Murphy – Gaelic footballer, member of the Football Team of the Millennium
- Tommy Murphy – Gaelic footballer, member of the Football Team of the Millennium
- Owen Nolan - hockey player
- Kevin O'Brien – cricketer
- Niall O'Brien – cricketer
- Vincent O'Brien – voted greatest horse trainer of all time by Racing Post
- Pat O'Callaghan – Olympic gold medal, hammer, 1928, 1932
- Martin O'Connell – Gaelic footballer, member of the Football Team of the Millennium
- Mick O'Connell – Gaelic footballer, member of the Football Team of the Millennium
- Patrick O'Connell – Real Betis/FC Barcelona manager, 1930s
- Paul O'Connell – rugby union player and British and Irish Lions captain
- Cian O'Connor – show jumper who had Olympic gold medal taken from him
- Shane O'Connor - Alpine skier, Olympian 2010
- Nick O'Donnell – member of the hurling Team of the Millennium
- Brian O'Driscoll – rugby union player and British and Irish Lions captain
- Ronan O'Gara – rugby union player
- Dan O'Keeffe – Gaelic footballer, member of the Football Team of the Millennium
- Malcolm O'Kelly – rugby union player
- Jonjo O'Neill – jockey
- Seán O'Neill – Gaelic footballer, member of the Football Team of the Millennium
- J. J. O'Reilly – Gaelic footballer, member of the Football Team of the Millennium
- Tony O'Reilly – rugby union player
- Derval O'Rourke – World Indoor Champion and European silver medalist
- Peter O'Sullevan – horse racing commentator
- Eddie O'Sullivan – rugby union coach
- Gillian O'Sullivan – World Championships silver medalist
- Sonia O'Sullivan – Olympic silver medalist
- Michael Phelan - billiards
- Paddy Phelan – member of the hurling Team of the Millennium
- William Porterfield – cricketer
- Seán Purcell – Gaelic footballer, member of the Football Team of the Millennium
- Niall Quinn – soccer player
- Bobby Rackard – member of the hurling Team of the Millennium
- Boyd Rankin – cricketer
- Tony Reddin – member of the hurling Team of the Millennium
- Christy Ring – member of the hurling Team of the Millennium
- Nicolas Roche – cyclist
- Stephen Roche – cyclist
- Alain Rolland – rugby union player and referee
- Glenn Ross - Strongman
- Mark Scanlon - cyclist
- Tom Sharkey – boxer
- Mikey Sheehy – Gaelic footballer, member of the Football Team of the Millennium
- Michelle Smith – multi gold medalist 1996 Olympics
- Des Smyth – golfer
- Dr. Bethel Solomons – rugby union player, Ireland national team, Olympic team silver
- Pat Spillane – Gaelic footballer, member of the Football Team of the Millennium
- Steve Staunton – soccer player
- Jim Stynes – Champion Australian rules footballer
- Bob Tisdall – Olympic gold medal, 400mH, 1932
- John Treacy – Olympic silver medal, marathon, 1984
- Ruby Walsh – jockey
- Brian Whelahan – member of the hurling Team of the Millennium
- Ronnie Whelan – soccer player
- Andrew White – cricketer
- Norman Whiteside - Northern Irish footballer
- Joe Wickham – former FAI President and soccer player
- Keith Wood – rugby union player
Others
- Aidan of Lindisfarne – saint
- Anne Anderson – Irish Ambassador to the United States
- Eamonn Andrews – television personality, producer and businessman
- Todd Andrews – civil servant
- Sir Alfred Chester Beatty – mining magnate
- George Berkeley – philosopher
- Seán Brady – Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland
- Brigh Brigaid – 1st-century Irish judge
- Brigid of Kildare – Irish saint and bishop
- William Brown - Irish-born Argentine Admiral
- Amanda Byram – broadcaster
- Gay Byrne – broadcaster and presenter of The Late Late Show (1962–1999)
- Graham Cantwell – director
- Edward Carson - Lord Carson, barrister and politician
- Nellie Cashman – gold prospector in the United States; born in County Cork
- Harry Clarke – stained glass artist
- Desmond Connell – Roman Catholic Cardinal of Ireland
- James Craig - Viscount Craigavon, politician
- Tom Crean – explorer
- Rosanna Davison – Miss World 2003
- Moya Doherty – impresario
- Bishop James Doyle – Bishop
- Jim Duffy – Irish advisor to Australia's Republic Advisory Committee
- Saint Dymphna – Irish saint
- Margaretta Eagar – Limerick-born governess to the last Russian royal family
- Robin Eames – Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland
- Johannes Scotus Eriugena – theologian (b. 810)
- Brendan Finucane – Fighter pilot for the Royal Air Force
- Michael Anthony Fleming – Bishop of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
- Brian Gibbons – Welsh politician
- Glenda Gilson – model
- Veronica Guerin – journalist, murdered by drug dealers in 1996
- Mary, Lady Heath – early aviator
- Eamonn Holmes – journalist and broadcaster
- Sir William Johnson, 1st Baronet – pioneer settler of America
- Pat Kenny – broadcaster and former presenter of The Late Late Show
- Peter Lacy – Russian field marshal
- James Larkin – Labour leader
- Eliza Lynch – mistress of Francisco Solano López, Paraguayan dictator
- Catherine McAuley – founder the Sisters of Mercy
- Dubhaltach Mac Fhirbhisigh – scribe, translator, historian and genealogist
- Edward MacLysaght – Chief Herald of Ireland, 1943–54
- Martin Maher – cadet instructor at the United States Military Academy
- Diarmuid Martin – Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland
- Edward Martyn – co-founder of the Irish Literary Theatre
- Catherine McGuinness – Justice of the Supreme Court of Ireland, President of the Law Reform Commission
- John McKenna – Liverpool FC manager
- Michael Mills – ombudsman and political journalist
- Annie Moore – first person to pass through Ellis Island immigration system
- John Moore – director
- Lord Killanin – former head of the International Olympic Committee
- Kevin Murphy – Ombudsman and Information Commissioner
- Graham Norton – television personality and actor
- Pat O'Connor – director
- Seosamh Ó Duibhginn - writer, editor, publisher, Republican, and Gaelic language activist
- Gráinne O'Malley – pirate queen
- Emily O'Reilly – journalist, ombudsman and Information Commissioner
- John O'Riley - Major in the Saint Patrick's Battalion of the Mexican Army
- Katharine O'Shea – mistress of Charles Stewart Parnell
- Ian Paisley - Lord Paisley, Northern Irish politician
- Saint Patrick – Irish patron saint
- Horace Plunkett – founder of co-operative movement
- Phoebe Prince – victim of bullycide
- Robert Ross - British Army officer during the Napoleonic Wars
- Ernest Shackleton – explorer
- Ray Shah - DJ and radio personality
- Gerard Slevin – Chief Herald of Ireland, 1954–81
- Timothy Smiddy – academic, economist, Ireland's first ambassador
- Sarah Travers - BBC Newsline newsreader; attended Dominican College; lives in Portstewart
- Philip Treacy – milliner
- David Trimble - Lord Trimble, Northern Irish politician
- Ryan Tubridy – entertainer
- Peter Tyndall – ombudsman
- Louis Walsh – music manager and television personality
- Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington – Field Marshal (defeated Napoleon at Waterloo), Commander-in-Chief of the British Army and British Prime Minister
- Terry Wogan – television and radio personality
See also
- List of cities in Ireland
- List of Irish botanical illustrators
- List of people on stamps of Ireland
- List of universities in Northern Ireland
- List of universities in the Republic of Ireland
- Lists of people by nationality
References
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