List of Cork people explained

Cork is the second largest city of Ireland and largest county in Ireland and has produced many noted artists, entertainers, politicians and business people.

Historical and/or political figures

• John Anderson – businessman^[1]
• Sir John Arnott – businessman, newspaper owner
• Anthony Barry – politician, photographer
• Katty Barry – restaurateur^[2]
• Mick Barry – Teachta Dála and Socialist politician.^[3]
• Peter Barry – Tánaiste
• Tadhg Barry – journalist, trade unionist and nationalist
• Tom Barry – guerilla leader during war of independence, author of the book Guerilla Days in Ireland
• Olive Beamish – suffragette activist
• Anne Bonny – pirate
• Joseph Brennan – civil servant
• Sir George Callaghan – Admiral of the Fleet
• Patrick Cleburne – Major General in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War
• Hugh Coveney – government minister
• Simon Coveney – Tánaiste^[4]
• Thomas Croke – Archbishop of Cashel
• Donal Creed (1924 – 2017): Fine Gael politician; MEP, Teachta Dála, Minister of State under Garret FitzGerald^[5]
• Michael Creed (b. 1963): Former Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine^[6]
• Eileen Desmond – government minister, Senator, MEP
• Mary Elmes – aid worker honoured as 'Righteous Among the Nations' for saving 200 Jewish children during WWII
• Gerald Goldberg – first Jewish lord mayor
• T. C. Hammond – Church of Ireland clergyman
• William Baylor Hartland – plant breeder, seedsman
• John Pope Hennessy – author, governor of Hong Kong and Mauritius
• Ellen Hutchins – botanist
• Mary Harris "Mother" Jones – labour organiser, born near Cork
• Jim Lane – Irish Republican Socialist
• Cornelius Lucey – Bishop of Cork and Ross
• Jack Lynch – Taoiseach and hurler
• Thomas Mac Curtain – Lord Mayor of Cork
• Terence MacSwiney – Lord Mayor and hunger striker
• Daniel Mannix – Roman Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne
• Micheál Martin – Taoiseach^[7]
• Sake Dean Mahomed (1759–1851) – Bengali traveller, surgeon, entrepreneur, and one of the most notable early non-European immigrants to the Western World
• Stephen Moylan – Quartermaster General of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War
• Michael Murphy – first Irish president of the European Court of Auditors
• Nano Nagle – educator who founded the Presentation Sisters
• William O'Brien – nationalist politician and MP; founder of All-for-Ireland League
• Fergus O'Connor – Irish nationalist and publisher
• Dáithí Ó Conaill – Irish republican
• Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa – nationalist
• Batt O'Keeffe – government minister^[8]
• Michael O'Riordan – socialist politician
• John Cyril Porte – pioneer aviator
• John Roach – major shipbuilder in postbellum United States
• Adi Roche – humanitarian campaigner
• Brendan Ryan – Senator and lecturer at CIT
• William Henry John Seffern – printer, newspaper editor, journalist and historian
• D. D. Sheehan – nationalist politician and first Labour MP
• Kathy Sinnott – MEP
• Robert Spence – Roman Catholic Archbishop of Adelaide
• William Thompson – political and philosophical writer
• Sir Robert Torrens – Prime Minister South Australia; pioneer of Land Registration system
• Thady Quill – historical rake
• The Wallace sisters – IRA Intelligence officers

Scientists

• Vincent Barry - chemist
• Amy Warren - marine biologist and conchologist
• Robert Warren - ornithologist

Military

• • James Adams – recipient of the Victoria Cross Francisco Burdett O'Connor – officer in the Irish Legion of Simón Bolívar's army
• Michael Collins – revolutionary leader, and Chairman of Provisional Government
• John Dunlay – recipient of the Victoria Cross
• William English – recipient of the Victoria Cross
• Richard Fitzgerald – recipient of the Victoria Cross
• Thomas Kent – Irish nationalist
• Thomas Lane – recipient of the Victoria Cross
• Samuel Lawrence – recipient of the Victoria Cross
• David Lord – recipient of the Victoria Cross
• Ambrose Madden – recipient of the Victoria Cross
• Mick Mannock – recipient of the Victoria Cross
• James Murray – recipient of the Victoria Cross
• Timothy O'Hea – recipient of the Victoria Cross
• Daniel Florence O'Leary – Irish-born Venezuelan brigadier general of Simón Bolívar's army
• Michael O'Leary – recipient of the Victoria Cross
• Gerald O'Sullivan – recipient of the Victoria Cross
• John Sullivan – recipient of the Victoria Cross
• James Travers – recipient of the Victoria Cross
• Joseph Ward – recipient of the Victoria Cross

Sports

• John Allen – former Irish hurler and Gaelic footballer
• Hugh T. Baker – cricketer
• Mick Barry – road bowler
• James Brophy – cricketer
• Noel Cantwell – international footballer
• Graham Canty – footballer and international rules captain
• Brian Carney – rugby league, and rugby union footballer of the 1990s and 2000s
• Mark Carroll – long-distance athlete
• Joe Cleary – major league baseball player
• Mark Cohen – cricketer
• Megan Connolly – footballer
• Joe Deane – hurler
• Damien Delaney – international footballer
• Patrick Dineen – cricketer
• Jack Doyle – boxer
• John Egan – association footballer
• Joe English (sailor), round the world sailor and international yachtsman.^[9]
• Percy Exham – cricketer
• James Foley – cricketer
• William Harman – cricketer
• Ryan Hartslief – footballer and rugby player
• Colin Healy – international footballer
• Marian Heffernan – Olympian
• Robert Heffernan – Olympic bronze medalist
• Tom Horan – cricketer (Australia)
• Denis Irwin – international footballer
• Roy Keane – international footballer
• Caoimhín Kelleher – footballer
• Alan Lewis – cricketer, rugby union referee
• Jack McAuliffe – boxer
• Teddy McCarthy – GAA sportsman, played on both Cork hurling and football double winning teams
• Darren McNamara – professional drift driver
• Sam Maguire – GAA sportsman
• David Meyler – international footballer
• Liam Miller – international footballer
• Tony Mullane – major league baseball player^[10]
• Saoirse Noonan – international footballer
• Donncha O'Callaghan – rugby union player
• Dr. Pat O'Callaghan – twice Olympic gold medalist
• Frank O'Farrell – international footballer and manager
• Ronan O'Gara – rugby union player
• Seán Óg Ó hAilpín – hurler
• Ciarán Ó Lionáird – international middle-distance athlete
• John O'Shea – darts player
• Derval O'Rourke – world indoor champion hurdler and European outdoor silver medalist 2006
• Bríd Stack - ladies Gaelic and Australian rules footballer
• Denise O'Sullivan – international footballer
• Marcus O'Sullivan – middle-distance athlete
• Sonia O'Sullivan – Olympic silver medalist, world champion athlete and cross country runner
• Christy Ring – hurler
• Peter Stringer – rugby union player

Film, entertainment and media

• Jack Gleeson – actor
• Sarah Greene – actor
• Eddie Hobbs – TV personality
• George Hook – TV/radio personality
• Fergal Keane, OBE – BBC journalist
• Danny La Rue, OBE – female impersonator
• James Leonard and Timmy Long of The Two Norries podcast^[11]
• Joe Lynch – actor
• Mark Mahon – film director
• Pixie McKenna – TV personality, doctor
• Edward Mulhare – TV actor
• Cillian Murphy – actor
• Graham Norton – TV personality
• Bill O'Herlihy – TV personality
• Jonathan Rhys-Meyers – actor
• Tony Scannell – actor
• Fiona Shaw, CBE – actor
• Cailín Ní Toibín – beauty pageant titleholder
• Niall Tóibín – comic actor
• Eileen Walsh – actor
• Nora Twomey – animator

Literature

• Máire Bradshaw – poet and publisher
• Daniel Corkery – writer
• Patrick Galvin – poet, singer and playwright
• Trevor Joyce – poet
• Helmut Kollars – writer and illustrator
• Frank O'Connor – author
• Seán Ó Faoláin – writer
• Joseph O'Neill – writer
• Seán Ó Ríordáin – poet
• P.A. Ó Síocháin – journalist, author, lawyer and Irish language activist
• James O'Sullivan – writer and academic
• Canon Patrick Augustine Sheehan – Catholic priest, author, political activist
• William Trevor – writer
• William Wall – author

Music and arts

• Abraham Abell – antiquarian
• James Barry – neoclassical painter
• Kim Carroll – composer and guitarist
• Cathal Coughlan – singer/songwriter
• Dorothy Cross – artist
• Robert Day – antiquarian, photographer
• Ricky Dineen – musician
• Gavin Dunne (better known as Miracle of Sound) – musician
• Chloe Early – artist
• Mick Flannery – singer-songwriter
• Aloys Fleischmann – composer, professor of music at UCC
• Rory Gallagher – singer/songwriter and guitarist
• Patrick Hennessy – painter
• John Hogan – sculptor
• Pina Kollars – singer/songwriter
• Sir Hugh Lane – patron of arts
• Charles Lynch – classical pianist
• Mick Lynch – singer^[12]
• Daniel Maclise – artist
• Jimmy McCarthy – singer/songwriter
• Lyra McNamara – singer/songwriter
• Paul McSwiney – composer and dramatist
• Sean O'Hagan – musician
• Una Palliser – violinist, violist, singer
• Brian Smyth – painter^[13]
• John Spillane – singer/songwriter
• Henry Jones Thaddeus – painter
• Bambie Thug – singer/songwriter^[14]
• Finbar Wright – singer/songwriter
• Cian Ducrot – singer/songwriter

Bands

• Five Go Down to the Sea?^[15]
• The Frank and Walters^[16]
• Stump^[17]
• The Sultans of Ping FC

Notes and References

1. "The Cork Directory for the year 1787".
2. Book: McCarthy. Jude. Dictionary of Irish Biography. Hourican. Bridget. 2009. Cambridge University Press. McGuire. James. Cambridge. Barry, Katty. Quinn. James. https://www.dib.ie/biography/barry-katty-a0450 . 10.3318/dib.000450.v1 .
3. Web site: Mick Barry. Oireachtas Members Database. 11 July 2021.
4. Web site: Simon Coveney. Oireachtas Members Database. 7 March 2009.
5. O’Dea, Trish. "Farewell to a straight talker". The Independent, 17 June 2004. Retrieved 11 July 2021
6. "Michael Creed". Dáil Éireann. Retrieved 11 July 2021
7. News: McGreevy . Ronan . Micheál Martin's family history: from old IRA to the British army . 11 July 2021 . The Irish Times . 26 January 2015 . en.
8. "Batt O'Keeff"
9. Web site: Sailor Joe English (58) passes away . Irish Times . 4 November 2014 .
10. Book: Reichler, Joseph L. . The Baseball Encyclopedia . 1969 . 4th . 1979 . Macmillan Publishing . New York . 0-02-578970-8 . registration .
11. McDonell, Cira. "The Two Norries: 'When those guards showed me compassion, it struck a chord with me'". Irish Examiner, 18 November 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2021
12. Web site: A tribute to late Cork musician Mick Lynch. 21 December 2015. irishexaminer.com. 11 July 2021.
13. http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/irish-artists-twentieth-century.htm "Irish Artists: 20th Century"
14. Web site: 8 May 2024 . Bambie Thug becomes first Irish Eurovision finalist since 2018 . redfm.ie . https://web.archive.org/web/20240508083433/https://www.redfm.ie/cork/bambie-thug-becomes-first-irish-eurovision-finalist-since-2018-1723123 . 8 May 2024 . 2024-05-08 .
15. Web site: O'Driscoll . Des . Recalling the great nights of Cork's Arcadia . . 13 June 2014 . 27 June 2021 . 16 May 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200516132756/https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/artsfilmtv/artsvibe/recalling-the-great-nights-of-corks-arcadia-271898.html . live .
16. Web site: Power . Ed . The Frank and Walters: Top of the Pops, Paul McCartney and the 'Corkchester' hype . . 29 October 2020 . 11 July 2021 .
17. Web site: A tribute to late Cork musician Mick Lynch. 21 December 2015. irishexaminer.com. 27 June 2021.