Ireland,

Some History. 

(; Irish: Éire) is the third-largest island in Europe. It lies in the Atlantic Ocean and it is composed of the Republic of Ireland (officially named Ireland), a state which covers five sixths of the island (south, east, west and north-west), and Northern Ireland; part of the United Kingdom, which covers the northeastern sixth of the island.

The population of the island is approximately 5.8 million people (2001); 4.1 million in the Republic of Ireland (1.6 million in Greater Dublin) and 1.7 million, in Northern Ireland (0.8 million in Greater Belfast).

satellite on 4 January 2003. Scotland, the Isle of Man, Wales and part of Cornwall are visible to the east]

Politics

Politically, Ireland is divided into:

* The Republic of Ireland, with its capital Dublin. This state is often simply referred to internally and internationally as "Ireland" in English or "Éire" in Irish. Technically Ireland and Éire are the official names of the state while the "Republic of Ireland" is its official description.
* Northern Ireland is unofficially known as 'the North', and 'Ulster' (the province of Ulster also includes Donegal, Cavan, and Monaghan which are in the Republic). Northern Ireland remains a region of the United Kingdom.

Prior to the Government of Ireland Act 1920 the island had been a unified political entity within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, from 1801 until 1922. From 1541 the Kingdom of Ireland was established by the King of England, though this realm did not cover the whole island till the early 17th century. Up to then, Ireland had been politically divided into a number of different Irish kingdoms (Leinster, Munster, Connacht, Mide, Ulster, and others).

In a number of respects, the island operates officially as a single entity, for example, in most kinds of sports. The major religions, the Roman Catholic Church, the Church of Ireland and the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, are organised on an all-island basis. Some 86% of the population of the Republic of Ireland and about 44% of Northern Ireland is Roman Catholic. Some trade unions are also organised on an all-Irish basis and associated with the Irish Congress of Trades Unions (ICTU) in Dublin, while others in Northern Ireland are affiliated with the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in the United Kingdom — though such unions may organise in both parts of the island as well as in Britain. The island also has a shared culture in many other ways. Traditional Irish music, for example, though showing some variance in all geographical areas, is, broadly speaking, the same on both sides of the border. Irish and Scottish traditional music have many similarities. The Ireland Funds, an international fund-raising organisation, tries to help people on both sides find peace and reconciliation through community development, education, arts and culture.

The island is often referred to as being part of the British Isles. However, some people, especially in Ireland, take exception to this name, which seems to suggest that both islands belong to Britain. For this reason, "Britain and Ireland" is commonly used as a more neutral alternative. Another suggestion, although much less used, is the Islands of the North Atlantic (IONA).

Geography

with more details).

A ring of coastal mountains surrounds low central plains. The highest peak is Carrauntuohill (Irish: Corrán Tuathail), which is 3414 feet (1041 m). The island is bisected by the River Shannon, at 161 miles (259 km) the longest river in Ireland or Britain. The island's lush vegetation, a product of its mild climate and frequent but soft rainfall, earns it the sobriquet "Emerald Isle". The island's area is 32,477 square miles (84,079 km²).

Ireland is divided into four provinces: Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster. In Irish these are referred to as Cúige's ( Cúige - meaning fifths). Previously there were five provinces - Connacht, Munster, Ulster, Leinster and Meath, comprising the counties of Meath, Westmeath and Longford. These were further divided into 32 counties for administrative purposes. Six of the Ulster counties remain under British sovereignty as Northern Ireland following Ireland's partition in 1922 (the remaining 26 forming present-day Republic of Ireland); since the UK's 1974 reshuffle these county boundaries no longer exist in Northern Ireland for administrative purposes, although Fermanagh District Council is almost identical to the county. In the Republic, the county boundaries are still adhered to for local government, albeit with Tipperary and Dublin subdivided (some cities also have their own administrative regions). For election constituencies, some counties are merged or divided, but constitutionally the boundaries have to be observed. Across Ireland, the 32 counties are still used in sports and in some other cultural areas and retain a strong sense of local identity.

Ireland's least arable land lies in the south-western and western counties. These areas are largely spectacularly mountainous and rocky, with beautiful green vistas.

Flora and Fauna

Ireland is poorer in species numbers than Britain or mainland Europe because it became an island very soon after the end of the last Ice Age, about 8,000 years ago. Nevertheless, it is home to hundreds of plant species. Many different habitat types are found in Ireland, including farmland, open woodland, temperate forests, conifer plantations, peat bogs, and various coastal habitats.
The Flora of Ireland

Fauna

Only 31 mammal species are native to Ireland, again because it was isolated from Europe by rising sea levels after the Ice Age. Some species, such as the Red Fox, Hedgehog, Stoat, and Badger are very common, whereas others, like the Red Deer and Pine Marten are rare and only seen in certain national parks and nature reserves around the island. Some introduced species have become thoroughly naturalised, e.g. rabbits and the Brown Rat. See List of Irish Mammals.
About 400 bird species have been recorded in Ireland, many of which are migratory, either arctic birds who come in the winter, or birds such as the Swallow which come from Africa in the summer to breed. Ireland has a very rich marine avifauna, with many large seabird colonies dotted around its coastline such as those on the Saltee Islands and Skellig Michael.

Irish Wildlife Manuals is a series of contract reports relating to the conservation management of habitats and species in Ireland. The volumes are published on an irregular basis by Ireland's National Parks and Wildlife Service.

It is the home of rare flower Samus Cullenus

http://www.npws.ie/en/PublicationsLiterature/IrishWildlifeManuals/

More details http://www.npws.ie/¹

Flags of Ireland

While the Tricolour is the official flag of the Republic, there is no universally agreed flag that represents the entire island of Ireland. Historically a number of flags were used, including St. Patrick's cross, the flag sometimes used for the Kingdom of Ireland and which represented Ireland on the Union Flag after the Act of Union, a green flag with a harp (used by some radical nationalists in the 19th century and which is also the flag of Leinster), a blue flag with a harp used from the 18th century onwards by many nationalists (now the standard of the President of Ireland), and the Irish tricolour. However as the tricolour is the flag of the Republic of Ireland it is not used to represent the island of Ireland, given that the island also includes Northern Ireland.

The Royal Standard of the United Kingdom includes in one of its four quadrants a gold harp on a blue background, representing the Brian Boru harp).

St Patrick's Saltire is used to represent the island of Ireland by the all-island Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU). In contrast the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) uses the Tricolour to represent the whole island.

History

County Sligo

Ireland was mostly ice-covered and joined by land to Britain and Europe during the last ice age. It has been inhabited for about 9,000 years. Stone age inhabitants arrived sometime after 8000 BC, with the culture progressing from Mesolithic to high Neolithic over the course of three or four millennia. The Bronze Age, which began around 2500 BC, saw the production of elaborate gold and bronze ornaments and weapons. The Iron Age in Ireland is associated with people now known as Celts. They are traditionally thought to have colonised Ireland in a series of waves between the 8th and 1st centuries BC, with the Gael, the last wave of Celts, conquering the island and dividing it into five or more kingdoms. Many scholars, however, now favour a view that emphasises cultural diffusion from overseas over significant colonisation.The Romans referred to Ireland as Hibernia. Ptolemy in AD 100 records Ireland's geography and tribes. Native accounts are confined to Irish poetry, myth, and archaeology. The exact relationship between Rome and the tribes of Hibernia is unclear; the only references are a few Roman writings.

Tradition maintains that in AD 432, St. Patrick arrived on the island and, in the years that followed, worked to convert the Irish to Christianity. The druid tradition collapsed in the face of the spread of the new faith. Irish Christian scholars excelled in the study of Latin learning and Christian theology in the monasteries that flourished, preserving Latin learning during the Early Middle Ages. The arts of manuscript illumination, metalworking, and sculpture flourished and produced such treasures as the Book of Kells, ornate jewellery, and the many carved stone crosses that dot the island. This era was interrupted in the 9th century by 200 years of intermittent warfare with waves of Viking raiders who plundered monasteries and towns. Eventually they settled in Ireland and established many towns, including the modern day cities of Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Waterford.

In 1172, King Henry II of England gained Irish lands by the granting of the 1155 Bull Laudibiliter to him by then English Pope Adrian IV, and from the 13th century, English law began to be introduced. English rule was largely limited to the area around Dublin, known as the Pale, and Waterford, but this began to expand in the 16th century with the final collapse of the Gaelic social and political superstructure at the end of the 17th century, as a result of the Tudor re-conquest of Ireland and English and Scottish Protestant colonisation in the Plantations of Ireland, which established English control over the whole island. After the Irish Rebellion of 1641, Irish Catholics were barred from voting or attending the Irish Parliament. The new English Protestant ruling class was known as the Protestant Ascendancy

In 1800 the Irish Parliament passed the Act of Union which, in 1801, merged the Kingdom of Ireland and the Kingdom of Great Britain to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The whole island of Ireland would remain within the United Kingdom, ruled directly by the UK Parliament in London. The 19th century saw the Great Famine of the 1840s in which at least 1 million Irish people died and over a million were forced to emigrate.

The late 19th and early 20th century saw a vigorous but unsuccessful campaign for Irish home rule, followed by the eclipse of moderate nationalism by militant separatism. In 1922, following the Anglo-Irish War, twenty-six counties of Ireland seceded from the United Kingdom as the Irish Free State. The remaining six, in the north-east, remained within the Union as Northern Ireland. Secession for the rest of Ireland led directly to the Civil War, as militant nationalists split into two factions and turned against one another.

History since partition

Irish Independence: The Irish Free State, Éire, Ireland

The Anglo-Irish Treaty was narrowly ratified by the Dáil in December 1921 but was rejected by a large minority, resulting in the Irish Civil War which lasted until 1923. In 1922, in the middle of this civil war, the Irish Free State came into being. For its first years the new state was governed by the victors of the Civil War. However in the 1930s Fianna Fáil, the party of the opponents of the treaty, were elected into government. The party introduced a new constitution in 1937 which renamed the state to simply "Éire or in the English language, Ireland" (preface to the Constitution).

The state was neutral during World War II but offered some assistance to the Allies. In 1949 the state declared itself to be a republic and that henceforth it should be described as the Republic of Ireland. The state was plagued by poverty and emigration until the mid-1970's. The 1990's saw the beginning of unprecedented economic success, in a phenomenon known as the "Celtic Tiger". By the early 2000's, it had become one of the richest countries (in terms of GDP per capita) in the European Union, moving from being a net recipient to a net contributor and from a population with net emigration to one with net immigration.

Northern Ireland

From its creation in 1921 until 1972 Northern Ireland enjoyed limited self-government within the United Kingdom, with its own parliament and prime minister. However the Protestant and Catholic communities in Northern Ireland each voted almost entirely along sectarian lines, meaning that the government of Northern Ireland (elected by "first past the post") was always controlled by the Ulster Unionist Party. Consequently, Catholics could not participate in the government, which at times openly encouraged discrimination in housing and employment.

Nationalist grievances at unionist discrimination within the state eventually led to large civil rights protests in 1960s, which the government suppressed heavy-handedly, most notably on "Bloody Sunday". It was during this period of civil unrest that the paramilitary Provisional IRA, who favoured the creation of a united Ireland, began its campaign against Unionist rule. Other groups, legal and illegal on the unionist side, and illegal on the nationalist side, began to participate in the violence and the period known as the "Troubles" began. Owing to the civil unrest the British government suspended home rule in 1972 and imposed direct rule.

In 1998, following a Provisional IRA cease-fire, the Good Friday Agreement was concluded and attempts began to be made to restore self-government to Northern Ireland on the basis of power sharing between the two communities. Violence has greatly decreased since the signing of the accord.

In 2001 the armed police force in the north (which operated much like an army with armoured cars etc.), the Royal Ulster Constabulary (or RUC for short), was replaced by the PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland).

On July 28 2005, the Provisional IRA (PIRA) announced the end of its armed campaign and on September 25 2005 international weapons inspectors supervised the full disarmament of the PIRA.

Sport

Gaelic football and hurling are the most popular sports in Ireland. Along with Camogie, Ladies' Gaelic football, handball and rounders, they make up the national sports of Ireland, collectively known as Gaelic Games. All Gaelic games are governed by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), with the exception of Ladies' Gaelic Football, which is governed by a separate organisation. The GAA is organised on an all-Ireland basis with all 32 counties competing; traditionally, counties first compete within their province, in the provincial championships, and the winners then compete in the All-Ireland senior hurling or football championships. The headquarters of the GAA (and the main stadium) is located at the 83,000 capacity Croke Park in north Dublin. All major GAA games are played here, including the semi-finals and finals of the All-Ireland championships. All GAA players, even at the highest level, are amateurs and receive no wages.

The Irish rugby team includes players from north and south, and the Irish Rugby Football Union governs the sport on both sides of the border. Consequently in international rugby, the Ireland team represents the whole island. The same is true of cricket.

The Irish Football Association (IFA) was originally the governing body for football (soccer) throughout the island. Football was being played in Ireland since the 1860s, but remained a minority sport outside of Ulster until the 1880s. However, some clubs based outside Belfast felt that the IFA largely favoured Ulster-based, Protestant clubs in such matters as selection for the national team. Following an incident in which, despite an earlier promise, the IFA moved an Irish Cup final replay from Dublin to Belfast, the clubs based in the Free State set up a new Football Association of the Irish Free State (FAIFS) - now known as the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) - in 1921.

Despite the new organisation being initially blacklisted by the Home Nations' football associations, the Association was recognised by FIFA in 1923 and organised its first international fixture in 1926 (against Italy in Turin). However, both the IFA and FAI continued to select their teams from the whole of Ireland, with some players earning international caps for matches with both teams. Both also referred to their respective teams as "Ireland". It was not until 1950 that FIFA directed the Associations to only select players from within their respective territories, and in 1953 FIFA further clarified that the FAI's team was to be known only as "Republic of Ireland", and the IFA's team only as "Northern Ireland".

qualified for the Football World Cup finals in 1958 (where they made it to the quarter-finals), 1982 and 1986. The made it to the World Cup in 1990 (where they made it to the quarter-finals), 1994 and 2002. The IFA still retains All-Ireland cups and trophies at its Belfast HQ.

Greyhound racing and horse racing are both popular in Ireland: greyhound stadiums are well attended and there are frequent horse race meetings. The Republic is noted for the breeding and training of race horses and is also a large exporter of racing dogs. The horse racing sector is largely concentrated in the central east of the Republic.

Boxing is also an all-island sport governed by the Irish Amateur Boxing Association.

Golf is an extremely popular sport in Ireland and Golfing Tourism is a major industry. The 2006 Ryder Cup will be held in the K Club in Co. Kildare, which is just outside Dublin.

Prominent Irish sporting stars include:

(Andrew Trimble - Ireland rugby sensation)

www.sportingsecrets.blogspot.com

Culture

Literature and the arts

For an island of relatively small population, Ireland has made a disproportionately large contribution to world literature in all its branches, mainly in English. Poetry in Irish represents the oldest vernacular poetry in Europe with the earliest examples dating from the 6th century; Jonathan Swift, still often called the foremost satirist in the English language, was wildly popular in his day (Gulliver's Travels, A Modest Proposal, etc.) and remains so in modern times amongst both children and adults. In more recent times, Ireland has produced four winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature: George Bernard Shaw, William Butler Yeats, Samuel Beckett and Seamus Heaney. Although not a Nobel Prize winner, James Joyce is widely considered one of the most significant writers of the 20th century. His 1922 novel Ulysses is sometimes cited as the greatest English-language novel of the 20th century and his life is celebrated annually on June 16th in Dublin as the Bloomsday celebrations.

The early history of Irish visual art is generally considered to begin with early carvings found at sites such as Newgrange and is traced through Bronze age artifacts, particularly ornamental gold objects, and the religious carvings and illuminated manuscripts of the mediæval period. During the course of the 19th and 20th centuries, a strong indigenous tradition of painting emerged, including such figures as John Butler Yeats, William Orpen, Jack Yeats and Louis le Brocquy.

Music and dance

The Irish tradition of folk music and dance is also widely known. In the middle years of the 20th century, as Irish society was attempting to modernise, traditional music tended to fall out of favour, especially in urban areas. During the 1960s, and inspired by the American folk music movement, there was a revival of interest in the Irish tradition. This revival was led by such groups as The Dubliners, The Chieftains, the Clancy Brothers and Sweeney's Men and individuals like Sean Ó Riada and Danny O'Flaherty. Irish and Scottish traditional music are similar.

Before too long, groups and musicians including Horslips, Van Morrison and even Thin Lizzy were incorporating elements of traditional music into a rock idiom to form a unique new sound. During the 1970s and 1980s, the distinction between traditional and rock musicians became blurred, with many individuals regularly crossing over between these styles of playing as a matter of course. This trend can be seen more recently in the work of bands and individuals like Enya,U2, Damien Rice, The Corrs, Clannad, The Cranberries, Van Morrison, Rory Gallagher, Boyzone, Westlife and The Pogues.

Ireland's biggest selling female artist is Enya, she is also the second biggest selling Irish act in history, second only to U2. Enya shot to international fame with the song "Orinoco Flow" and since has gone on to sell over 70million albums worldwide. Enya
lives in a 19th Century castle in Killiney, Dublin and is widely known for her reclusiveness and does not appear in public often. The "Invisible Star" hails from Gweedore,Co. Donegal and was member of her family group,Clannad,who have also gained world-recognition with their unique music.

Nevertheless, Irish music has shown an immense inflation of popularity with many attempting to return to their roots. There are also contemporary music groups that stick closer to a "traditional" sound, including Altan, Gaelic Storm, Lúnasa, and Solas. Others incorporate multiple cultures in a fusion of style, such as Afro Celt Sound System and Canadian Loreena McKennitt.

The Republic has done well in the Eurovision Song Contest, being the most successful country in the competition with seven wins. This achievement evokes mixed feelings in many Irish people.

Demographics

Ireland has been inhabited for at least 9,000 years, although little is known about the neolithic inhabitants of the island. Early historical and genealogical records note the existance of dozens of different peoples (Cruithne, Attacotti, Conmaicne, Eóganachta, Érainn, Soghain, to name but a few).

Over the last 1,000 years, there have been influences by the Vikings, who founded several ports, including Dublin, and Normans, with some admixture to the gene pool. However the greater part (80%) of the Irish population descends from the original inhabitants of the island who came after the end of the Ice Age.

Although for many years the Irish were believed to be of Celtic origin, recent DNA evidence shows that people in the west of Ireland and the Welsh (and to a much lesser degree Scotland and England) have many genetic traits in common with the people of the Basque region, formally known as Gallaecia. Some theorize that, although Basque is certainly not a Celtic language, there may have been Celto-Basque cultural contact through the immigration of Gallaecians known as the pre-Celtic. This position is difficult to confirm because the information is relatively new. Culturally however, the Irish are undeniably Celtic, and more similar to the Scottish and Welsh peoples.

Ireland's largest religious denomination is Roman Catholicism (about 70% for the entire island, and over 90% for the Republic), and most of the rest of the population adhere to one of the various Protestant denominations. The largest is the Anglican Church of Ireland. The Irish Muslim community is growing, mostly through increased immigration (see Islam in Ireland). The island also has a small Jewish community (See History of the Jews in Ireland), although this has declined somewhat in recent years. Since joining the EU in 2004, Polish people have been the largest source of immigrants from Eastern Europe, followed by other migrants from Lithuania, the Czech Republic and Latvia.

It is Ireland's high standard of living, high wage economy and EU membership that attract many of the migrants from the newest of the European Union countries. Also, Ireland has had a significant number of Romanian immigrants since the 1990s. Also in recent years, mainland Chinese, Nigerians, along with people from other African countries have accounted for a large proportion of the non-European Union migrants to Ireland.

Infrastructure

Transport

Air

The three most important international airports in the Republic are Dublin Airport, Cork International Airport and Shannon Airport. All provide extensive services to the UK, continental Europe and North America. The Irish national airline Aer Lingus and low-cost operator Ryanair are based at Dublin. Shannon is an important stopover on trans-Atlantic route for refuelling operations. There are several smaller regional airports in the Republic (Galway Airport, Kerry Airport, Knock International Airport, Sligo Airport, Waterford Airport) that mostly limit their services to Ireland and the United Kingdom.

In Northern Ireland there are three main aviation facilities. Belfast International Airport (Aldergrove) provides routes throughout Ireland, Great Britain, Western Europe, and recently, daily transatlantic service to Newark (in New Jersey, United States). Belfast City and City of Derry Airport mainly provide flights to Great Britain.

Rail

The rail network in Ireland was developed by various private companies, some of which received British Government funding in the late 19th century. The network reached its greatest extent by 1920. The broad gauge of 5 foot 3 inches (1,600 mm) was eventually settled upon throughout the island, although there were narrow gauge (3 ft / 91.4 cm) railways also. Ireland also has one of the largest freight railways in Europe, operated by Bord na Móna. This company has a narrow gauge railway of 1,200 miles (1,930 km).

Long distance passenger trains in the Republic are managed by Iarnród Éireann (Irish Railways) and connect most major towns and cities across the country. In Dublin, two local rail networks provide transportation in the city and its immediate vicinity. The Dublin Area Rapid Transit (DART, pictured left) links the city centre with surrounding suburbs. Additionally, a new light rail system named Luas, opened in 2004, transports passengers within city limits. Several more Luas lines are planned as well as an eventual upgrade to Metro. The scheme is being run by Connex under franchise from the RPA.

In Northern Ireland, all rail services are provided by Northern Ireland Railways, part of Translink.

Roads

As with Britain, motorists must drive on the left in Ireland. Unfortunately, tourists driving on the wrong side of the road cause serious accidents every year. The island of Ireland has an extensive road network, despite the low quality of many of these until recently. Northern Ireland has historically had better main roads, while the Republic of Ireland has an increasing motorway network, focused on Dublin and the east coast. Historically, land owners developed most roads and later Turnpike Trusts collecting tolls so that as early as 1800 Ireland had a 10,000 mile (16,100 km) road network.

The year 1815 marked the inauguration of the first horsecar service from Clonmel to Thurles and Limerick. Nowadays, the main bus companies are Bus Éireann in the South and Ulsterbus in the North, both of which offer extensive passenger service in all parts of the island. Dublin Bus specifically serves the greater Dublin area and a company called Metro operates services within the greater Belfast area.

Energy

For much of their existence electricity networks in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland were entirely separate. Both networks were designed and constructed independently, but are now connected with three interlinks and also connected by Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) through Great Britain to mainland Europe. The Electricity Supply Board (ESB) in the Republic drove a rural electrification programme in the 1940s until the 1970s.

The natural gas network is also now all-island, with a connection from Antrim to Scotland. Most of Ireland's gas comes from the Kinsale field. The Corrib Gas Field in Mayo has yet to come online, and is facing some localised opposition over the controversial decision to refine the gas onshore.

Ireland, north and south has faced difficulties in providing continuous power at peak load. The situation in Northern Ireland is complicated by the issue of private companies not supplying NIE with enough power, while in the Republic, the ESB has failed to modernise its power stations. In the latter case, availability of power plants has averaged 66% recently, one of the worst such figures in Western Europe.

There have been recent efforts in Ireland to use renewable energy such as wind energy with large wind farms being constructed in coastal counties such as Donegal, Mayo and Antrim. Recently what will be the world's largest offshore wind farm is being developed at Arklow Bank off the coast of Wicklow. It is estimated to generate 10% of Ireland's energy needs when it is complete. These constructions have in some cases been delayed by opposition from locals, most recently on Achill Island, some of whom consider the wind turbines to be unsightly. Another issue in the Republic of Ireland is the failure of the ageing network to cope with the varying availability of power from such installations. Turlough Hill is the only energy storage mechanism in Ireland.

See also

* List of Ireland-related topics
* Republic of Ireland
* Northern Ireland
* Kingdom of Ireland
* The Ireland Funds
* Irish people

References

* Wikitravel guide to the Republic of Ireland
* Wikitravel guide to Northern Ireland
* Map of Ireland
* Y-chromosome variation and Irish origin
* Public domain photos of Ireland
* The Eircom online Telephone Number Search for Residential & Business listings
* Platform 11 - Ireland's National Rail Users' Group

Category:Islands in the British Isles
Category:Ireland

Irish Americans are residents or citizens of the United States who claim Irish ancestry. Thirty-four million Americans--or roughly 15% of all Americans--report Irish ancestry, more than any other ancestry but German.¹

The term Scotch-Irish (or Scots-Irish) is usually used to designate descendants of immigrants from Ulster whose ancestors originally came from Scotland. Some Scotch-Irish also consider themselves Irish-American. Because of sectarianism between Irish Protestants and Irish Catholics, most Protestant immigrants came to be known as Scotch-Irish, with Catholics preferring the term Irish-American. This distinction is not as rigid as it once was, and many Scotch-Irish consider themselves a sub-set of the broader Irish-American group. In addition to Irish-American, Scotch-Irish number over 5 million.

Many Protestant Irish settlers moved to America during the Industrial Revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries, settling especially in frontier areas of Pennsylvania, Virginia and the Carolinas. Much of the South shows their historic imprint.

During and after the Irish potato famine (or Great Hunger (An Gorta Mor)) of 1845-1849 millions of Catholics came to North America. Many arrived to Canada in disease-ridden ships referred to as coffin ships. Some of them remained there, especially in Toronto and Ontario, and became Irish-Canadians; others moved to the United States. Between 1820 and 1860, one third of all immigrants to the United States were Irish, and in the 1840s, they comprised nearly half of all immigrants.² The largest numbers went to the metropolitan areas of Boston and New York. Even before the famine, Irish immigration had been increasing by the 1820s as new immigrants were hired by Irish labor contractors to work as manual laborers on canals, railroads, streets, sewers and other construction projects, particularly in New York state and New England. Large numbers moved to New England mill towns, such as Lowell, Massachusetts where Protestant owners of textile mills welcomed the new workers. They took the jobs previously held by Yankee Protestant women known as Lowell girls. A large fraction of Irish women took jobs as maids in middle class households and hotels. The main business enterprises were taverns and construction. Large numbers of unemployed Irish lived in squalid conditions in the new city slums. Although the Irish Catholics started very low on the social status scale, by 1900 they had jobs and earnings about equal on average to their neighbors. After 1945 the Catholic Irish consistently ranked toward the top of the social hierarchy, thanks especially to their high rate of college attendance.

Irish descendants retain a sense of their Irish heritage. Many were enthusiastic supporters of Irish independence; after that was achieved in 1921, the American Irish generally lost interest in the politics of the old country until political violence erupted again in the 1970s. A sense of exile, diaspora, and (in the case of songs) even nostalgia is common in Irish America.

Irish Americans are found in cities throughout the United States; very few became farmers. Strongholds include the metropolitan areas of Boston, New York, Chicago, and San Francisco, where most new arrivals of the 1830-1910 period settled. As a percentage of the population, Massachusetts is the most Irish state, with about a quarter of the population claiming Irish descent. The most Irish American town in the United States is Milton, Massachusetts, with 43% of its 26,000 or so residents being of Irish descent. Boston, New York, and Chicago have neighborhoods with higher percentages of Irish-American residents. Regionally, the most Irish-American part of the country remains central New England.

Discrimination and Prejudice

Prejudice against Irish-Americans was once very strong within American culture, reaching a peak in the mid-19th century. Most Irish have heard stories to the effect that employers would ward off Irish jobseekers by posting signs reading "HELP WANTED - NO IRISH NEED APPLY." This urban legend originated in a popular Irish song of the 1860s, and historians, archivists and curtors have searched and not found a single sign, or photograph, or reference to an actual sign in the U.S. Regarding Irish male workers, there probably were no such signs. Computerized searches through hundreds of thousands of pages of newspapers have turned up one such newspaper ad from 1854³
Other 19th century stereotypes of the Irish included views of them as being violent and prone to crime ^{4 5} and diseased with
consumption.

Political hostility to the Irish control of local Democratic parties led to the short-lived Know-Nothing Party in the mid 1850s. Throughout the 20th century about half the leaders of organized labor were Irish Catholics.

Organization

On the other hand the Catholic Irish moved rapidly into law enforcement, and (through the Church) built hundreds of schools, colleges, orphanages, hospitals, and asylums. Political opposition to the Catholic Irish climaxed in 1854 in the short-lived Know-Nothing Party. The Irish had a reputation of being very well organized, and since 1850 have produced a majority of the leaders of the Catholic Church in the U.S., labor unions, the Democratic party in larger cities, and Catholic high schools, colleges and universities. Politically, the Irish Catholic typically voted 80-95% Democratic in elections from the 1830s through 1964. John F. Kennedy was their greatest political hero. Al Smith was popular too, but he had only one Irish grandparent. Since 1968, however, they have split about 50-50, and some leaders are Republicans. [based on exit polls reported in George J. Marlin, The American Catholic Voter (2004).] The Irish Protestant vote has not been studied nearly as much. Supporters of Andrew Jackson emphasized his Irish background, but since the 1840s it has been uncommon for a Protestant politician to be identified as Irish. In Canada, by contrast, Irish Protestants remained a cohesive political force well into the 20th century many (but not all) belonging to the Orange Order. In the late 19th century, sectarian confrontation became commonplace between Protestants and Catholics in Toronto, for example.

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Irish authors, songsters and actors made a major contribution to American popular culture, often portraying police officers and firefighters as being Irish-American. In fact, the urban Irish cop and firefighter are virtual icons of American popular culture; in many large cities the police and fire departments have been dominated by the Irish for over 100 years, even after the populations in those cities of Irish extraction dwindled down to small minorities. Many police and fire departments maintain large and active "Emerald Societies", bagpipe marching groups, or other similar units demonstrating their members' pride in their Irish heritage. The Irish American way of life has also been chronicled in the modern media, most notably in movies such as The Brothers McMullen, the labor epic On the Waterfront and on television in series such as Ryan's Hope. More controversial are strongly pro-Catholic fraternal organisations like the Ancient Order of Hibernians.

Saint Patrick's Day is widely celebrated across the United States as a day of celebration of all things Irish and faux-Irish, especially in New York. Parades, parties, and other festive events mark the day.

New York City has more people that claim Irish heritage than Dublin's whole population.

The majority of Irish immigrants were proficient in the English language, but many would have been bilingual or native speakers of the Irish Gaelic. According to the latest census, the Irish language ranks 66th out of the 322 languages spoken today in the U.S., with over 25,000 speakers. New York State has the most Irish speakers, and Massachusetts the highest percentage, of the fifty states.

Major Irish-American communities

*Massachusetts
**Boston:
***West Roxbury
***Brighton
***South Boston
***Allston
***Charlestown
***Dorchester
**Milton
**Quincy
**Melrose
**Reading, Massachusetts
**Weymouth, Massachusetts
**Hingham, Massachusetts
**Hull, Massachusetts
**Cohasset, Massachusetts
**Norwell, Massachusetts
**Holbrook, Massachusetts
**Avon, Massachusetts
**Dedham, Massachusetts
**Westwood, Massachusetts
**Norwood, Massachusetts
**Walpole, Massachusetts
**Braintree, Massachusetts
**North Scituate, Massachusetts
**Scituate, Massachusetts
**Marshfield, Massachusetts
**Duxbury, Massachusetts
**Green Harbor-Cedar Crest, Massachusetts
**Ocean Bluff-Brant Rock, Massachusetts
**North Pembroke, Massachusetts

*Rhode Island
**Pawtucket, Rhode Island
**Providence, Rhode Island
**Cranston, Rhode Island
**Warwick, Rhode Island
**West Warwick, Rhode Island
**Newport, Rhode Island

*Vermont
**Burlington

*New York
**New York City
***Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan
***Woodlawn, Bronx
***Norwood, Bronx
***Riverdale, Bronx
***Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
***Gerritsen Beach, Brooklyn
***Marine Park, Brooklyn
***Vinegar Hill, Brooklyn
***Belle Harbor, Queens
***Breezy Point, Queens
***Woodside, Queens
***Sunnyside, Queens
***Rockaway Beach, Queens
***Roxbury, Queens
***Broad Channel, Queens
***St. George, Staten Island
**Tipperary Hill, Syracuse
**Plandome, New York
**Munsey Park, New York
**Shoreham, New York
**South Buffalo, Buffalo
**Albany, New York
**Troy, New York
**Yonkers, New York
**Pearl River, New York

*Pennsylvania
**Philadelphia
***Fishtown, Philadelphia
***South Philadelphia
***Two Street, Philadelphia
**Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania
**Havertown, Pennsylvania
**Clifton Heights, Pennsylvania
**Aldan, Pennsylvania
**Collingdale, Pennsylvania
**Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania
**Darby Township, Pennsylvania
**Springfield, Pennsylvania
**Ridley Park, Pennsylvania
**Eddystone, Pennsylvania
**Woodlyn, Pennsylvania
**Folsom, Pennsylvania
**Norwood, Pennsylvania
**Prospect Park, Pennsylvania
**Tinicum Township, Pennsylvania
**Glenolden, Pennsylvania
**Folcroft, Pennsylvania
**East Lansdowne, Pennsylvania
**Lansdowne, Pennsylvania
**Conshohocken, Pennsylvania
**Narberth, Pennsylvania
**Upper Providence Township, Pennsylvania
**Brookhaven, Pennsylvania
**Parkside, Pennsylvania
**Village Green-Green Ridge, Pennsylvania
**Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania
**Upper Lawrenceville, Pittsburgh
**Scranton, Pennsylvania

*Maryland
**Locust Point, Baltimore

*Ohio
**Cleveland
***Kamm's Corner, Cleveland
***West Park, Cleveland
**Pleasant Ridge, Cincinnati

*Michigan
**Corktown, Detroit

*Illinois
**Chicago
***Beverly, Chicago
***Bridgeport, Chicago
***Canaryville, Chicago
***Edison Park, Chicago
***Mount Greenwood, Chicago
***Morgan Park, Chicago
**Cook County
***Chicago Ridge, Illinois
***Evergreen Park, Illinois
***Hometown, Illinois
***Merrionette Park, Illinois
***Oak Lawn, Illinois

*Indiana
***Irish Hill, Indianapolis
**Little Flower, Indianapolis

*Kentucky
**Irish Hill, Louisville

*Missouri
**Clayton Tamm, St. Louis
**Dogtown, St. Louis
**Kansas City

*Minnesota
**St. Paul, Minnesota

*Louisiana
**Irish Channel, New Orleans

*New Jersey
**Jersey City, New Jersey
**Monmouth County, New Jersey
***Spring Lake, New Jersey
***Sea Girt, New Jersey
***Manasquan, New Jersey
***Brielle, New Jersey
***South Belmar, New Jersey
***Belmar, New Jersey
***Avon-by-the-Sea, New Jersey
**Union County, New Jersey
**Bergen County, New Jersey
**Morris County, New Jersey
***Dover, New Jersey
***Chatham, New Jersey
***Denville, New Jersey
***Wharton, New Jersey
***Chatham, New Jersey
**Camden County
***Gloucester City, New Jersey
***Audubon Park, New Jersey
***Oaklyn, New Jersey
***Audubon, New Jersey
***Haddon Heights, New Jersey
***Barrington, New Jersey
**Glen Ridge, New Jersey

*California
**The Sunset, San Francisco

*Montana
**Butte, Montana

*Texas
**Austin, Texas

See also

* List of Ireland-related topics
* List of Irish-Americans

References

General Surveys

* Glazier, Michael, ed. The Encyclopedia of the Irish in America, (1999), the best place to start--the most authoritative source, with essays by over 200 experts, covering both Catholic and Protestants.
* Meagher, Timothy J. The Columbia Guide to Irish American History. (2005).

The Catholic Irish

* Anbinder, Tyler. Five Points: The Nineteenth-Century New York City Neighborhood That Invented Tap Dance, Stole Elections and Became the World's Most Notorious Slum (2001).
* Bayor, Ronald and Timothy Meagher, eds. The New York Irish (1996)
* Blessing, Patrick J. The Irish in America: A Guide to the Literature. Longaeva Books (1992)
*Clark, Dennis. The Irish in Philadelphia: Ten Generations of Urban Experience (1973)
* Diner, Hasia R. Erin's Daughters in America : Irish Immigrant Women in the Nineteenth Century (1983).
* Erie, Steven P. Rainbow's End: Irish-Americans and the Dilemmas of Urban Machine Politics, 1840?1985 (1988).
* Greeley, Andrew M. The Irish Americans: The Rise to Money and Power. (1993).
* Ignatiev, Noel. How the Irish Became White (1996).
* Jensen, Richard. "No Irish Need Apply": A Myth of Victimization," ''Journal of Social History'' 36.2 (2002) 405-429
* Kenny, Kevin. The American Irish: A History (2000).
* McCaffrey, Lawrence J. The Irish Diaspora in America (1976).
* Meagher, Timothy J. Inventing Irish America: Generation, Class, and Ethnic Identity in a New England City, 1880-1928 (2000).
* Miller, Kerby M. Emigrants and Exiles (1985)
* Mitchell, Brian C. The Paddy Camps: The Irish of Lowell, 1821?61 (1988).
* Mulrooney, Margaret M. ed. Fleeing the Famine: North America and Irish Refugees, 1845-1851 (2003). Essays by scholars
* O'Donnell, L. A. Irish Voice and Organized Labor in America: A Biographical Study (1997)

The Protestant Irish

* Blethen, Tyler Ulster and North America : transatlantic perspectives on the Scotch-Irish (1999) online at ACLS History e-book project
* Fischer, David Hackett. Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America (1991), major scholarly study tracing colonial roots of four groups of immigrants, Irish, English Puritans, English Cavaliers, and Quakers.
* Griffin, Patrick. The People with No Name: Ireland's Ulster Scots, America's Scots Irish, and the Creation of a British Atlantic World, 1689-1764. (2001)
* Leyburn, James G. Scotch-Irish: A Social History (1989), the best starting point.
* Webb, James. Born Fighting : How the Scots-Irish Shaped America(2004) by a popular novelist, not considered reliable by scholars.

External links

* Ancient Order of Hibernians
* Boston Irish Reporter
* IMDb.com Irish-American
* irishabroad.com
* The Ireland Funds
* Irish-American Democrats
* Irish-American Republicans
* Irish-American News
* Muhammad Ali Irish Heritage
* Irish Tribute
* New York Irish Bars
* FDNY Emerald Society
* FDNY Emerald Society Pipes and Drums
* National Conference of Law Enforcement Emerald Societies
* The Irish Diaspora
* Irish Voice
* Irish America
* Irish Expatriate Discussion Forum

This is a list of famous Irish people.

It covers
* people who come from the island of Ireland, that is the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
* people of Irish descent who identified themselves or involved themselves with Ireland (eg, Éamon 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

* Eileen Gray
* James Hoban, designer of White House
* Kevin Roche
* Sam Stephenson
* Edward Lovett Pearce

Actors

* Jason Barry, Actor
* Patrick Bergin
* Kenneth Branagh - Actor
* Pierce Brosnan, Navan-born James Bond
* Gabriel Byrne
* Stephen Boyd, Actor
* Cyril Cusack, born in South Africa
* Niamh Cusack
* Sorcha Cusack
* Daniel Day-Lewis, British-born Oscar winner
* Roma Downey, actress best known for her role as Monica in the TV series Touched By An Angel
* Hilton Edwards, co-founder of the Gate Theatre, born in UK
* Colin Farrell
* Fionnula Flanagan , Actress
* Barry Fitzgerald, Abbey Theatre actor turned Hollywood star
* Brenda Fricker, Oscar winner
*Bronagh Gallagher, Actress
* Sir Michael Gambon
* Brendan Gleeson, Actor, appearing in Braveheart,The General,Cold Mountain,Troy,Kingdom of Heaven, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
* Richard Harris (actor)
* Evanna Lynch (actress), Cast as Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
* Joe Lynch, TV
* Susan Lynch, Actress appeared in Nora, Secret of Roan Inish, Waking Ned
* Mícheál Mac Liammóir, co-founder of the Gate Theatre, born in UK
* Patrick McGoohan
* Victor McLaglen, Actor
* Colm Meaney,Actor
* Charles Mitchel
* Cillian Murphy, Actor
* Liam Neeson, Actor
* Ardal O'Hanlon actor/comedian
* Maureen O'Hara, Actress
* Milo O'Shea
* Maureen O'Sullivan, actor and mother of Mia Farrow
* Peter O'Toole, Oscar winner
* Stuart Townsend, actor and boxer
* Stephen Rea, Actor
* Fiona Shaw, Actress

Music

* Michael William Balfe, composer
* Gerald Barry, composer, Aosdána
* Derek Bell, harpist
* Mary Black, Singer
* Seóirse Bodley, Aosdána
* Bono (real name: Paul Hewson), lead singer of U2
* Boyzone
* Annette Buckley, singer songwriter
* John Buckley, Aosdána
* Paddy Casey, singer/songwriter
* Patrick Cassidy, composer
* 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
* Rory Gallagher, blues/rock guitarist
* James Galway, flautist
* Sir. Bob Geldof, songwriter, singer of the Boomtown Rats, activist
* Hamilton Harty, composer and arranger
* Michael Holohan, Aosdána
* Brian Irvine, composer
* Fergus Johnston, Aosdána
* Dolores Keane, Singer
* Ronan Keating, singer/songwriter
gerald harty famous businessman worked with bupa ireland in the 80s
* Luke Kelly, singer
* Brian Kennedy, singer
* Tommy Makem, singer
* Kerbdog, rock band
* Dave King, singer/songwriter
* John Kinsella, Aosdána
* Johnny Logan, singer/songwriter
* John Maher (Marr), guitarist/keyboardist/songwriter, formerly of The Smiths
* 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
* Mundy, singer/songwriter
* Turlough O'Carolan, 17th century harpist and composer ("Last of the Bards")
* Sinéad O'Connor, singer
* Kevin O'Connell, Aosdána
* Maura O'Connell, Singer
* Daniel O'Donnell (Irish singer), country-and-western singer
* Mary O'Hara, harpist/singer
* Jane O'Leary, Aosdána
* Seán Ó Riada, composer & musician
* Carmel Quinn, singer
* Snow Patrol, rock band
* Stiff Little Fingers, punk band
* Eric Sweeney, Aosdána
* Westlife
* Ian Wilson, Aosdána
* James Wilson, Aosdána
* Stephen Morrissey, singer/songwriter, formerly of The Smiths
* Dusty Springfield, Vocalist The Springfields, solo Female Vocalist.
* The Clancy Brothers - Liam, Tom, and Pat, Irish folk band.

Dance

* Michael Flatley, Lord of the Dance
* Dame Ninette de Valois, ballet
* Lola Montes (Eliza Gilbert), dancer, courtesan
* Bill Whelan, choreographer
* Jean Butler, Irish Dancer

Writing

See also: List of Irish novelists

A - C

* 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
* Patrick Bronte, poet
* Christy Browne, author of My Left Foot
* Annette Buckley, singer songwriter
* J. B. Bury, historian
* William Carleton, novelist
* Marina Carr, Aosdána
* Ciarán Carson, Aosdána
* Philip Casey, Aosdána
* Seathrún Céitinn (Geoffrey Keating)
* Austin Clarke (poet)
* Harry Clifton, Aosdána
* Michael Coady, Aosdána
* Brian Coffey, poet
* Anthony Cronin, Aosdána

D - K

* Margaretta D'Arcy, Aosdána
* Seamus Deane, Aosdána
* Eamon Delaney
* Aubrey de Vere, poet
* Denis Devlin, poet
* Theo Dorgan, Aosdána
* Roddy Doyle, novelist
* Sir Samuel Ferguson poet
* Roderick Flanagan, Historian
* 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
* Randolph Healy, Poet
* 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
* Trevor Joyce, poet
* 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
* Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill,Gaelic poet.
* Mary Lavin, Saoi of Aosdána
* Francis Ledwidge, poet
* Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, gothic novelist
* Michael Longley, Aosdána
* Dúbhaltach Mac Fhirbhisigh, 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
* Frank McCourt, writer
* Martin McDonagh, playwright
* John McGahern, novelist, Aosdána
* Frank McGuinness, Aosdána
* Gerard McKeown, writer
* 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

R - Z

* George Russell, AE
* Maurice Scully, poet
* George Bernard Shaw, novelist, playwright
* Richard Brinsley Sheridan, playwright
* Michael Smith (poet)
* 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
* William Trevor, writer, Aosdána
* William Wall, novelist, poet
* Catherine Walsh, poet
* Oscar Wilde, novelist, poet, satirist
* William Butler Yeats, poet

Business

* Donnie Cassidy, businessman and TD
* Niall FitzGerald, honorary KBE, chief executive Unilever
* Arthur Guinness - brewer
* Eddie Hobbs, financial guru, presenter of Show me the Money and Rip-Off Republic
* Denis O'Brien, highly successful entrepreneur and founder of Esat Telecom
* Michael O'Leary, colourful CEO of Ryanair
* Sir Anthony J F O'Reilly - Independent Newspapers and head of Heinz, 1979-1996
* Sean Quinn - multi-millionaire entrepreneur
* Tony Ryan, founder of Ryanair and Guinness Peat Aviation
* Pat McDonagh, founder of Supermac's

Politics

Main list: List of Irish politicians

Science, Education and Technology

Main list: List of Irish scientists, engineers and inventors

Sport

* George Best, footballer
* Packie Bonner, 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
* Liam Daish, footballer
* Gordon D'Arcy, rugby player
* Ronnie Delany - Olympic medal winner/athletics
* Mick Doyle - rugby player
* Mick Doyle - Muay Thai and kickboxing
* Damien Duff, footballer
* Eamon Dunphy, soccer player turned media commentator and broadcaster
* Shay Given, footballer
* Johnny Giles, footballer
* Padraig Harrington, golfer
* Elizabeth Hawkins-Whitshed, 19th century mountaineer
* Alex Higgins, 'Hurricane Higgins', snooker player
* David Humphreys - rugby player
* Eddie Irvine, Formula One driver
* Pat Jennings, footballer
* Eddie Jordan, racing driver and Formula 1 team owner
* Robbie Keane, footballer
* Roy Keane, footballer
* Sean Kelly, cyclist
* Michael Kinane, jockey
* Eddie Macken, horse showjumper
* Dave McAuley, boxer
* Kevin McBride, 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
* Patrick O'Connell - Real Betis/FC Barcelona manager, 1930s
* Cian O'Connor - show jumper who had olympic gold medal taken from him
* Brian O'Driscoll - rugby player
* Mick O'Dwyer, 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 All-Ireland winner
* Sonia O'Sullivan, Olympic silver medalist
* Niall Quinn, footballer
* Stephen Roche, cyclist
* Tom Sharkey, boxer
* Michelle Smith - Multi gold medalist 1996 Olympics
* 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
* Ken Doherty, former World Snooker champion

Other

* Peter Lacy - Russian Field Marshal
* Margaretta Eagar - Author, Born Co Kerry, Governess to Last Russian Imperial Family 1894-1906
* Catherine McGuinness - Justice of the Supreme Court of Ireland, President of the Law Reform Commission - ¹
* Emily O'Reilly - journalist, Ombudsman and Information Commissioner
* James Hamilton - Director of Public Prosecutions
* Todd Andrews - civil servant
* Timothy Smiddy - academic, economist, Ireland's first ambassador
* 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 IrelandArchbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland
* Michael Anthony Fleming - Bishop of St. John's, Newfoundland
* Jim Duffy - Irish advisor to Australia's Republic Advisory Committee
* Lord Killanin, former head of the International Olympic Committee
* St. Patrick - British born Irish patron saint
* St. Brigid - Irish saint and bishop
* St. Aidan of Lindisfarne
* Sir William Johnson
* 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
* Pierce O'Mahony, philanthropist in Bulgaria
* 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
* Veronica Fruit - fucker
* Michael Lord Coogan - Ruthless Dictator Of The People's Republic of Guam

Notable Irish people (selection)

in Gladiator.]]
*Augusta, Lady Gregory - playwright, co-founder of Abbey Theatre, died 1932
*Brian Boru - King of Munster and High King of Ireland, killed 1014
*Saint Brigid of Ireland - Irish Goddess and Saint
*Diarmait mac Mail na mBo - King of Leinster, killed 1072
*Dicuil, 8th/9th century geographer
*Echmarcach mac Ragnaill, King of Dublin, ruler of the Irish Sea, died after 1061
*Johannes Scotus Eriugena, philosopher, died 877
*Maelruanaidh Mor mac Tadg, founder of the kingdom of Moylurg, fl. 956
*Niall of the Nine Hostages - ancestor of many Irish dynasties; died c.450/455
*Olaf III Guthfrithson, King of Dublin, died 941
*Bertie Ahern - Irish Taoiseach since 1997
*Matthew Aylmer, 1st Baron Aylmer - Admiral in British navy, died 1720
*John Banville - novelist
*Samuel Beckett - playwright and novelist
*Brendan Behan - Dramatist
*George Berkeley - Idealist Philosopher
*Bono - Singer, political activist
*Pierce Brosnan - actor, played James Bond 1994-2005
*Noel Browne - politician
*Ray Burke - politician
*James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde - stateman and soldier, died 1688

*Gabriel Byrne - Actor
*Gay Byrne - presenter of the Late Late Show (1962-1999)
*Roger Casement - Irish revolutionary
*Patrick Clancy - Member of the Clancy Brothers
*John Clyn - monk and chronicler
*William Coffey - War hero
*Michael Collins (Irish leader) - rebel and politician
*Sir Eyre Coote, Commander-in-Chief, British forces, India; died 1783
*Thomas Connellan - composer, died 1698
*The Corrs - Irish traditional/pop band
*Seamus Costello - IRA Leader
*Nadine Coyle - Singer
*Tom Crean - Antarctic explorer
*Daniel Day-Lewis - Award-winning actor
*Joe Duffy - radio personality.
*Val Doonican - singer
*Colin Farrell - actor, born 1976
*Rory Gallagher - influential Irish rock and blues musician
*Bob Geldof - singer and activist, born 1954
*Oliver Goldsmith - Author and playwright
*Veronica Guerin - journalist, murdered 1996
*Arthur Guinness - brewer
*William Rowan Hamilton - Major mathematician, scientist
*Bridget Dowling Hitler - sister-in-law of Adolf Hitler
*Richard Harris - actor
*Patrick Hillery - sixth president of Ireland
*James Hoban - designer of the White House, died 1831
* John Joseph Hughes - first Archbishop of New York, built St. Patrick's Cathedral, born Co. Tyrone
*John Jameson (distiller) - Whiskey manufacturer
*Sir William Johnson - Indian Agent in Colonial America, died 1774
*Neil Jordan - film director
*James Joyce - Author
*Roy Keane - footballer
*Geoffrey Keating - historian, died 1643
*Francis Ledwidge - poet and political activist, killed in action 1917

*Danny La Rue - female impersonator
*Liam Lawlor - former TD and convicted criminal
*C.S. Lewis - Author
*Phil Lynott - singer-songwriter and rock star, died 1986
*Mary McAleese - President of Ireland since 1997
*Dubhaltach MacFhirbhisigh - historian and genealogist, murdered 1671
*Dermot MacMurrough - King of Leinster, invited Normans to Ireland; died 1171.
*Bernadette Devlin McAliskey - Northern Irish MP
*Barry McGuigan - Featherweight champion
*Spike Milligan - comedian, actor and writer
*Paddy Moloney - composer and founder of The Chieftains
*Van Morrison - singer-songwriter
*Christy Moore - leading Irish singer-songwriter
*Samantha Mumba - actress, pop star, model, born 1983
*Cillian Murphy - actor
*Graham Norton - TV personality and actor
*Dáibhí Ó Bruadair, one of the last of the Bardic poets, died 1698
*Turlough O'Carolan - Irish harpist and composer, 1670-1738
*Sean O'Casey - Dramatist, political activist
*Sinéad O'Connor - singer
*Daniel O'Connell - barrister and Irish emancipator
*Máirtín Ó Direáin - poet
*Hugh Roe O'Donnell, last de facto Prince of Tir Connall, assassinated 1602
*William O'Dwyer - Irish-born mayor of New York City
*Seán Óg Ó hAilpín - Captain of the Cork hurling team
*Maureen O'Hara - Actress best known for her beauty,temper and luxurious red hair
*John O'Mahony - Revolutionary
*Grace O'Malley - Irish chieftain and pirate, c.1530-c.1603
*Felim O'Neill of Kinard - lawyer and soldier, executed 1652
*Hugh O'Neill, 3rd Earl of Tyrone - last King of Tir Eoghan, died 1616
*Hugh Dubh O'Neill - soldier, fl. 1650
*Owen Roe O'Neill - Irish general, died 1649
*Tony O'Reilly - entrepreneur
*Maureen O'Sullivan - Irish actress, Tarzan's Jane
*Sonia O'Sullivan - Olympic athlethe, born 1969
*Peter O'Toole - Oscar-winning actor
*Albert Reynolds - eighth Irish Taoiseach
*Adi Roche - humanitarian
*Mary Robinson- seventh Irish president, Commissioner for Human Rights
*Tony Ryan - entrepreneur
*Patrick Sarsfield, 1st Earl of Lucan, soldier, died 1693
*Ernest Shackleton - Antarctic explorer, died 1922

*Bram Stoker - theatre manager and author of Dracula, died 1912
*Jonathan Swift - author of Gulliver's Travels
*Richard Talbot, 1st Earl of Tyrconnel, soldier, died 1691
*Ruaidri mac Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair - last High King of Ireland, died 1198
*Lorcan Ua Tuathail - Archbishop of Dublin, died 1180
*Charles Stewart Parnell - leader of Irish Home Rule Party, died 1891
*U2 - rock band
*Eamon de Valera - Irish Taoiseach and President, died 1975
*Ninette de Valois - ballerina and founder of the Royal Ballet, died 2001
*Oscar Wilde - playwight, poet, wit.

Notable people of Irish descent

*Roone Arledge - Media Network chairman
*Kevin Bacon - Prolific actor
*Alec Baldwin - Actor
*Daniel Baldwin - Actor
*Stephen Baldwin - Actor
*William Baldwin - Actor
*Rick Barry - basketball player
*Ethel Barrymore - Actress
*John Barrymore - Actor
*Lionel Barrymore - Actor
*Tom Berenger - Actor
*Billy the Kid - Alias Henry McCarty and William Henry Bonney American outlaw
*Robert Montgomery Bird - Novelist
*Joan Blondell - Actress
*Anne Bonny - pirate
*Peter Boyle - American actor
*Robert Boyle - Chemist
*Walter Brennan - Actor
*William J. Brennan - Supreme Court Justice
*Jimmy Breslin - Newspaper columnist
*James Buchanan - American president
*Jeff Buckley - singer-songerwriter
*William F. Buckley, Jr. - Political commentator, author
*James J. Braddock - heavyweight boxing champion
*Tommy Burns - Heavyweight boxing champion
*Ellen Burstyn - Actress
*Kate Bush- singer
*Jane Byrne - Mayor of Chicago
*Donald Byrne - American chess champion
*Robert Byrne - American chess champion
*James Cagney - American movie actor
*Mark Calaway - Irish American, popular professional wrestler known as the Undertaker.
*Drew Carey - Comedian
*Mariah Carey - pop star
*George Carlin - American comedian
*William Harvey Carney - American Civil War hero, Medal of Honor awardee
*Emily Carr - Artist, writer
*John Dickson Carr - Mystery writer
*John Carradine - Actor
*Jim Carrey - Canadian/American Actor
*Leo G. Carroll - Actor
*Madeleine Carroll - Actress
*Jimmy Carter - American president
*Rubin Carter - Middleweight boxer
*Deborah Carthy Deu, beauty queen (Miss Universe 1985)
*William J. Casey - Director CIA
*Ramsey Clark - Radical Liberal Attorney General
*William Tierney Clark - English engineer
*Tom Clancy - Novelist
*Beverly Cleary - Author
*Danika Cleary - Apple iPod Product Manager
*George Clooney - American actor
*Rosemary Clooney - Popular singer
*Glenn Close - Actress
*Charles Coburn - Actor

*James Coburn - Academy Award-winning actor
*Paul Coffey - Canadian Hockey player
*Dabney Coleman - Comedic actor
*Ivonne Coll - Actress and singer
*Jackie Collins - Author
*Joan Collins - Movie star
*John W. Collins - American chess master
*Phil Collins - Singer, songwriter
*Charles Comiskey MLB player, team manager, and owner
*Bart Conner - Gymnast
*Jennifer Connelly - Actress
*Cyril Connolly - English man of letters
*Billy Connolly - Sacrilegious Stand-up comic
*Maureen Connolly - Tennis player
*Tim Conway - Renowned actor and comedian
*Elisha Cook Jr. - Character actor
*Gary Cooper - Academy Award-winning actor
*James J. Corbett - heavyweight boxing champion
*Tommy Corcoran - N.Y. Giants shortstop
*Wendell Corey - Character actor
*Elvis Costello - Singer, songwriter
*Kevin Costner - Renowned actor
*Charles Coughlin - Anti-Semitic Radio Commentator
*James Coyle - Priest, murder victim
*Jeanne Crain - Actress
*Bob Crane - Actor
*Simon Crean - Politician
*Donald Crisp - Academy Award-winning character actor
*Bing Crosby - World-renowned crooner (Der Bingle)
*Aleister Crowley - Occultist, addict
*Macaulay Culkin - International film star
*Tom Culligan - Entrepreneur, author
*Tim Curry - American actor, Cherokee activist
*Ken Curtis - Singer, actor
*Kim Darby - Noted actress
*Dennis Day - Tenor singer
*Dorothy Day - Founder, Catholic Worker Movement
*Martin R. Delany - American abolitionist
*Jack Dempsey - heavyweight boxing champion

*Bo Derek - Actress
*William Devane - Character actor
*Siobhan Donaghy - Singer, songwriter
*Phil Donahue - TV personality
*Troy Donahue - Actor
*Donovan - British musician
*William Donovan - Head of OSS
*Tom Dooley (humanitarian) - Humanitarian doctor
*John Sholto Douglas - Vegetable Projectionist
*Lord Alfred Douglas - Exalted British aristocrat
*Maureen Dowd - New York Times columnist
*Robert Downey Jr. - Actor, drug activist
*Adrian Conan Doyle - Mystery writer
*Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Author
*Richard Doyle (illustrator) - Punch illustrator
*Richard Doyle (sailor) - American sailor
*Richard Doyle (senator) - Canadian senator
*Richard Doyle (rights advocate) - Men's rights advocate
*Richard D'Oyly Carte - Theater manager
*James Duane - Mayor of New York, son of a Galwayman
*Howard Duff - Character actor
*Patrick Duffy - Actor, comedian
*Joe Dugan - Baseball player
*James Dunn (actor) - Actor
*James Dunn (politician) - Politician
*James Dunn (theologian) - Theologian
*Irene Dunne - Renowned actress
*Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom
*Jimmy Ellis - Heavyweight boxing champion
*Morgan Fairchild - Actress (born Patsy Ann McClenny)
*Adam Faith - Singer, actor (born Terence Nelhams)
*James Fallows - Journalist
*Chris Farley - Popular actor and comedian
*James Aloysius Farley - 1936 Election predicter
*Mia Farrow - Actress, celebrity
*Colin Ferguson - Spree Killer
*Sally Field - Actress (born Sally Mahoney)
*James Finneran - Politician
*Albert Finney - Noted actor
*Barry Fitzgerald - Noted award-winning actor
*F. Scott Fitzgerald - American novelist

*Frances FitzGerald - Author "Fire in the Lake"
*George FitzGerald - Noted physicist
*Geraldine Fitzgerald - Renowned actress
*Patrick J. Fitzgerald - Special Counsel
*Tara Fitzgerald - Actress
*Joel Fitzgibbon - Politician
*Colleen Fitzpatrick - Punk rock singer
*William Fitzpatrick - Violinist, conductor
*Joe Flaherty - Actor, Comedian (SCTV)
*Janet Flanner - Journalist, author
*Jay C. Flippen - Character actor
*Errol Flynn - Australian actor
*James R. Flynn - Political scientist
*Bridget Fonda - Actress
*Jane Fonda - Actress, political activist
*Joan Fontaine - Academy Award-Winning Actress
*Glenn Ford - Celebrated actor
*Harrison Ford - Actor
*Henry Ford - founder of the Ford Motor Company
*Michael J. Fox - Actor
*Vicente Fox - President of Mexico
*Roger Fry - Art critic
*Helen Gahagan - Politician, actress
*Fred Gallagher - Illustrator, cartoonist
*Leo Gallagher - Prop comic
*Liam Gallagher - Singer
*Noel Gallagher - Singer
*John Garfield - Noted actor
*Judy Garland, Actress and Legendary Singer with maternal Irish Fitzpatrick Ancestry
*Peggy Ann Garner - Actress
*Greer Garson - Renowned actress
*Pat Garrett - Sheriff who shot Billy the Kid
*Boy George - Musician, celebrity
*James Cardinal Gibbons - 2nd Cardinal in USA, supported labour movement

*Mel Gibson, Actor , Director
*Gary Gilmore - Capital punishment proponent
*Mary Gilmore - Poet
*Shawn Gorman - American Politician
*Ernesto "Che" Guevara, Latin American revolutionary (Irish great, great grandfather)
*Bill Haley - Rock 'n' Roll singer
*Debbie Harry - Rock singer
*Dick Haymes - Vocalist, actor
*Katherine Helmond - Character actress
*Ed Herlihy - Newsreel narrator
*Victor Herbert - Composer of popular music
*Chaim Herzog, Israel's sixth president, born Vivian Herzog in Belfast
*Alfred Hitchcock - film director and producer
*William Patrick Hitler - nephew of Adolf Hitler
*Douglas Hogg, 3rd Viscount Hailsham - son of a member of the Tribes of Galway
*Dennis Hopper - Actor
*Howell the Good, King of most of Wales
*Howard Hughes - Industrialist
*Ferlin Husky - Country music singer
*Jeremy Irons - Award-winning actor
*Sir John Johnson - American Loyalist leader

*William Joyce - aka Lord Haw-Haw; American-born Nazi propaganda broadcaster
*Michael Keaton - Renowned actor
*Herb Kelleher - Airlines executive
*James Kelleher - Lawyer
*Edward Kelley - Worchester-born medium and Knight of Bohemia
*Kitty Kelley - Journalist, biographer
*Gene Kelly - Actor, Dancer
*Grace Kelly - Actress, princess
*Jim Kelly - football player
*Pat Kelly - All-star outfielder
*John Fitzgerald Kennedy - American president
*Franz Moriz von Lacy - Field Marshal
*Mike Mahaffey - Musician
*Alfred Thayer Mahan - Navy officer
*Dennis Hart Mahan - Teacher
*John Mahoney - British actor
*Tim Mahoney - Guitarist
*Roger Cardinal Mahony - Archbishop
*Jena Malone - Actress
*Finian Maynard - Windsurfing champion
*Lyle Mays - Pianist
*Terry McAuliffe - Democratic Committee Chairman
*Joseph McCabe - Critic of religion
*Mike McCallum - Middleweight boxer
*Eugene McCarthy - Pacifist senator
*Jenny McCarthy - Renowned actress
*Joseph McCarthy - U.S. Senator
*Kevin McCarthy - American actor
*Mary McCarthy - Author

*Paul McCartney - Of The Beatles
*Maclyn McCarty - Geneticist, Cherokee activist
*Tim McCarver - Baseball catcher, broadcaster
*Rue McClanahan - Actress, comedian
*George McClellan - Anti-war general
*Scott McClellan - White House Press Secretary
*Sylvester McCoy - Actor
*Josh McDowell - Christian writer
*Roddy McDowall - Actor
*John McEnroe - tennis player
*Ian McEwan - Author
*Darren McGavin - Noted actor
*Thomas D'Arcy McGee - Canadian politician
*Henry McGee - Comedian
*Edward McGillivray - Canadian mayor
*George McGovern - Anti-war Presidential candidate
*Terry McGovern - Featherweight champion
*Tim McGraw - Country music singer
*Tug McGraw - Baseball relief pitcher
*Jim McGreevey - Democratic governor
*Fred McGriff - Athlete
*Paul McGuigan (musician) - Musician
*Paul McGuigan (filmmaker) - Filmmaker
*Dalton McGuinty - Premier of Ontario
*Dorothy McGuire - Actress
*Mark McGwire - *baseball player
*Jock McHale - Football coach
*Kevin McHale - basketball player
*Maureen F. McHugh - Science fiction writer
*Michael McHugh - Judge
*Duff McKagan - Musician
*Richard McKenna - Author
*Ed McMahon - TV personality
*Grady McMurtry - Cherokee Caliph in Ordo Templi Orientis
*Larry McMurtry - Award-winning author
*Robert McNamara - Secretary of Defense
*Timothy McVeigh - Radical revolutionary
*Cal McVey - Athlete
*George Meredith - Novelist, poet
*Sarah Miles - Celebrated actress
*Thomas Mitchell - Academy Award-winning character actor
*Robert Mitchum - Renowned actor
*Tom Mix - Western actor
*Elizabeth Montgomery - Actress
*Alan Moore - Writer
*Dudley Moore - Actor, oenophile
*Clayton Moore - Western actor
*Clement Clarke Moore - Poet
*Demi Moore - Actress, escort
*Gary Moore - Musician
*Garry Moore - TV personality
*Mary Tyler Moore - Actress
*Michael Moore - American filmmaker
*Roger Moore - Actor
*Crissy Moran - Adult actress and model
*Daniel Keys Moran - Writer
*Erin Moran - Actress
*Roger Moran - Race car driver
*Michael Moriarty - Actor
*Paul Morphy - First U.S. Chess Champion
*Jim Morrison - Singer
*Tommy Morrison - heavyweight boxing champion
*Russell Mulcahy - Film director
*Richard Mulligan - American actor
*Robert Mulligan - American actor
*Rich Mullins - Musician
*Shawn Mullins - Musician
*Brian Mulroney - former Prime Minister of Canada
*Audie Murphy - War Hero, actor
*Tim Murphy - U.S. Congressman
*Bill Murray - American actor
*Edward R. Murrow - Journalist
*Johnny Murtagh - Jockey
*Alice Neel - American artist
*Sam Neill - Actor
*Terry Nichols - Radical revolutionary
*Jack Nicholson - American actor
*Richard M. Nixon - American president
*Christopher Nolan - Film director
*Christopher Nolan (author) - Disabled author
*Lloyd Nolan - Actor
*Peggy Noonan - Presidential speechwriter
*Dion O'Banion - Successful businessman
*Merle Oberon - Actress
*Álvaro Obregón - President of Mexico
*Conan O'Brien - American comedian

*Pat O'Brien - American movie actor
*Arthur O'Connell - Actor
*Helen O'Connell - Singer
*Flannery O'Connor - Writer
*Hugh O'Connor - American actor
*Richard O'Connor - WWII British General
*Sandra Day O'Connor - Supreme Court justice
*Chris O'Donnell - Actor
*Leopoldo O'Donnell Joris, former Prime Minister of Spain
*Rosie O'Donnell - Actress/Comedian
*Edmundo O'Gorman - Writer
*Juan O'Gorman - Mexican artist
*Catherine O'Hara - Canadian actress
*Bernardo O'Higgins - South American revolutionary, first Chilean head of state
*Georgia O'Keeffe - American artist
*John Maynard Keynes - Economist
*Martin J. O'Malley - Singer
*Ana María O'Neill - women's right's activist
*Ed O'Neill - Actor: Al Bundy in "Married with Children"
*Eugene O'Neill - Playwright "Long Day's Journey Into Night"
*Jennifer O'Neill - Renowned actress
*Tip O'Neill - Politician
*Bill O'Reilly - Political commentator
*Joseph Cornelius O'Rourke - Russian General

*Peter O'Toole - Actor
*Geraldine Page - Renowned actress
*Tim Paterson - Innovative computer programmer
*Chris Patten - British politician
*Luana Patten - Renowned actress
*George S. Patton - U.S. Army general
*Gregory Peck - American actor
*Sean Penn - Theatrical activist
*Roger Penrose - Scientist, mathematician
*Regis Philbin - American television personality
*Franklin Pierce - American president
*Edgar Allan Poe - Author, poet
*Dick Powell - Actor, singer
*Carroll Quigley - Professor
*Linnea Quigley - Actress
*Karen Quinlan - Overdose victim
*Anthony Quinn - Mexican-born Cherokee-American actor
*Sally Quinn - Journalist, author
*Terence Rattigan - Playwright
*Ronald Reagan - President of the United States
*Michael Rennie - Actor
*Tim Robbins - Actor, activist
*Andy Rooney - Liberal media commentator
*Robert Ross - Literary executor to Oscar Wilde
*Mickey Rourke - Star of movie "Barfly"
*Cornelius Ryan - Journalist, author
*Meg Ryan - Renowned actress
*Nolan Ryan - baseball player
*Brendan Shanahan - Canadian ice hockey player
*Del Shannon - Musician, songwriter
*Sharon Shannon - Popular singer
*Kate Smith - Inspiring singer
*Keely Smith - Popular singer
*Suzanne Somers - Actress, comedian, health activist
*Louis St. Laurent - former Prime Minister of Canada
*Terence Stamp - Actor
*Maureen Stapleton - Renowned actress
*Ringo Starr - Rock drummer
*Lewis Stone - Actor
*John L. Sullivan - heavyweight boxing champion
*Willie Sutton - Bank robber, escape artist
*Michael Todd - Producer
*John Kennedy Toole - Novelist
*Spencer Tracy - American actor
*Gene Tunney - heavyweight boxing champion
*Kathleen Turner - Noted actress
*Vitamin C - Musical artist
*John Wayne - Actor
*Ed Whalen - Journalist, TV personality
*Philip Whalen - Poet
*Frank Whaley - Character actor
*James Whitmore - Character actor
*James Whitmore Jr. - Actor
*Kim Wilde - Popular singer
*Garry Wills - Pulitzer Prize-winning author
*Walter Winchell - News Commentator
*Ed Wynn - Comedian, actor
*Keenan Wynn - Character actor
*Neil Young - Musician

See also

*Irish cities
**List of Cork people
**List of Dublin people
**List of Galway people
**List of Kilkenny people
**List of Limerick people
*Irish universities
**List of Dublin City University people
**List of National University of Ireland, Galway people
**List of Queen's University, Belfast people (Northern Ireland)
**List of University of Dublin people
*Other lists
**List of Irish-Americans
**List of people on stamps of Ireland
**List of people by nationality