The Life & Death of Tomas Kent (1865-1916)

THE LIFE & DEATH OF TOMAS KENT (1865-1916) 9th May 1916. Tom Kent’s nerves were so bad on the morning of his execution that the guards brought a chair in for the 51-year-old to sit upon. The priest who attended him in his cell now leaned close for his final...

Dr. James Barry (1789-1865): The Man Who Was A Woman

DR. JAMES BARRY (1789-1865): THE MAN WHO WAS A WOMAN London, 25 July 1865. It is unlikely that Sophia Bishop ever experienced a greater surprise. For the previous months, she had been serving as maidservant to Dr. James Barry, a former Inspector General of military...
Adam Buck (1760–1833) – Maestro of the Georgian Miniature

Adam Buck (1760–1833) – Maestro of the Georgian Miniature

Born in Cork in 1760, Adam Buck was one of the finest neo-classical portrait and miniature painters of the Georgian Age. Known for his watercolour portraits during the Regency era, with neo-classical backdrops, his works are a perfect complement to the world depicted...
The Venerable Mary Aikenhead (1787-1858)

The Venerable Mary Aikenhead (1787-1858)

In 2015, Pope Francis issued a papal decree proclaiming the heroic virtues of Mary Aikenhead, founder of the Religious Sisters of Charity. Not only does that mean she can henceforward be referred to as the Venerable Mary Aikenhead, but the doctor's daughter from Cork...

The Morgan Family – Father Ted’s Forbears

A HISTORY OF THE MORGAN FAMILY – FATHER TED’S FORBEARS A shorter version of this history, written for the Irish Examiner, can be found here. THE KINGDOM OF TETHBAE Like any Irish family worth its salt, the Morgans claim descent from Niall of the Nine Hostages, the...