Country

Historical figures born in Ireland

3,625 notable historical figures were born in Ireland. These are the most notable:

• Cillian Murphy (born 1976, Entertainment)
• Pierce Brosnan (born 1953, Entertainment)
• James Joyce (1882 to 1941, Literature)
• Oscar Wilde (1854 to 1900, Literature)
• Bono (born 1960, Arts & Music)
• Enya (born 1961, Arts & Music)
• Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1769 to 1852, Politics)
• George Bernard Shaw (1856 to 1950, Literature)
• Catherine Connolly (born 1957, Politics)
• Michael D. Higgins (born 1941, Politics)
• Ernest Shackleton (1874 to 1922, Exploration)
• Samuel Beckett (1906 to 1989, Literature)
• Michael Collins (Irish leader) (1890 to 1922, Politics)
• Bram Stoker (1847 to 1912, Literature)
• W. B. Yeats (1865 to 1939, Literature)
• Edmund Burke (1729 to 1797, Politics)
• Jonathan Swift (1667 to 1745, Religion)
• Kevin Farrell (born 1947, Religion)
• Sheamus (born 1978, Sports)
• Francis Bacon (artist) (1909 to 1992, Arts & Music)
• Mary Robinson (born 1944, Politics)
• Yvonne McGuinness (born 1972, Arts & Music)
• George Berkeley (1685 to 1753, Philosophy)
• Brigid of Kildare (451 to 525, Religion)
• Iris Murdoch (1919 to 1999, Literature)
• Bertie Ahern (born 1951, Politics)
• Columba (521 to 597, Religion)
• Brian Bóruma (941 to 1014, Politics)
• Robert Boyle (1627 to 1691, Science)
• Grace O'Malley (1539 to 1603, Other)
• Cecil Day-Lewis (1904 to 1972, Literature)
• Colm Tóibín (born 1955, Literature)
• Daniel O'Connell (1775 to 1847, Politics)
• John Boyne (born 1971, Literature)
• Patrick Pearse (1879 to 1916, Politics)
• Brendan the Navigator (486 to 577, Religion)
• John Banville (born 1945, Literature)
• Neil Jordan (born 1950, Entertainment)
• Brendan Behan (1923 to 1964, Literature)
• Maeve Binchy (1940 to 2012, Literature)

Browse all countries or explore these figures on the timeline and world map.