Irish Mariners

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Surname (try to keep in this oder) | fullname | wikilink picture | dob | dod | story | notes

sort Name Picture Born Died Notability Connection Notes
Agar Augustus Agar File Augustine agar VC.jpg 4 Jan 1890 30 Dec 1968 He joined the Royal Navy in 1904. He took part in many actions during World War I. In late 1918 he worked with the British Secret Intelligence Service. He was the only man to be knighted based entirely on his exploits as a spy. He was awarded the Victoria Cross for sinking the Oleg, a Bolshevik Russian cruiser. He saw action in World War II born in Kandy, Ceylon. His father John Shelton Agar, was an Irishman from Woodmont, County Kerry notes
Andrews Thomas Andrews File Thomas Andrews ül.jpg 7 Feb 1873 15 April 1912 Businessman and shipbuilder; managing director and head of the draughting department for the Belfast shipbuilding company Harland and Wolff. Andrews was the shipbuilder in charge of the plans for the ocean liner RMS Titanic. He was travelling on board the Titanic during its maiden voyage when it hit an iceberg on 14 April 1912 and was one of the 1,517 people who perished in the disaster. born at Ardara House, Comber, County Down
Armstrong Alexander Armstrong
1818 4 Jul 1899 Naval surgeon, explorer, and author who from 1850–1854 sailed the arctic on HMS Investigator under the command of Robert John Le Mesurier McClure in search of the lost expedition of explorer Sir John Franklin. He became director-general of the Royal Navy’s medical department. He was awarded a KCB in 1871.[1] born Donegal
Armand Ange René Armand   17 Feb 1788 13 May 1855 French naval officer and politician. Descendant of an ancient family of Ireland who followed King James II to France
Aylmer Matthew Aylmer  | 1650
born in Ireland
sort Name Picture Born Died Notability Connection Notes
Baugh William Baugh
1587 1619 pirate. He was a ‘rear-admiral’ of the confederation of North Atlantic pirates c.1611 probably born in England, operated out of Kinsale
Baldwin Augustus Warren Baldwin
1 Oct 1776 5 Jan 1866 Joined the merchant navy in 1792. He was commissioned Royal Navy lieutenant in 1800. He participated in the bombardment of Copenhagen in 1807, and in 1808 received a gold medal and a commander’s commission for his part in the capture of the russian ship Sewolod (Vsevolod. Although retired from the navy, he was promoted to admiral in 1862.[2] born near Lisnagat in County Cork
Barber Robert Barber
1749 1783 quartermaster on HMS Adventure during Captain Cook's Second Voyage 1772-1775. On the 31 December 1772 he became an A.B. He was Master of HMS Mercury when he died.[3] born in Kilkenny
Barry John Barry   1745 13 Sep 1803 "The Father of the American Navy"; an officer in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War and later in the United States Navy. He commanded Lexington, Raleigh, and Alliance. He won the final naval battle of the American Revolution off the coast of Cape Canaveral on March 10, 1783. born in Tacumshane, County Wexford
Bransfield Edward Bransfield
1785 1852 Polar explorer. Discoverer of the Antarctica continent, (mainland rather than islands), on 30 January 1820.[4] Bransfield Strait, Bransfield Island, Bransfield Trough and Mount Bransfield are named after him, as is the RRS Bransfield. born in Ballinacurra, County Cork
Beaufort Francis Beaufort   1745 13 Sep 1803 Creator of the Beaufort scale for indicating wind force. He entered the British Navy at 13 and served on HMS Colossus and HMS Latona before being transferred to HMS Aquilon, which participated in the ‘Glorious First of June’. With his brother-in-law he devised a system which could transmit a message from Dublin to Galway in eight minutes. An Alaskan sea is named after Beaufort. born in Tacumshane, County Wexford


Burgoyne Hugh Talbot Burgoyne   17 Jul 1833 7 Sep 1870 Awarded the Victoria Cross, as a Royal Navy lieutenant, serving in the Crimean War, he landed at a beach where the Russian army were in strength, without covering fire, hr set fire to corn stores and ammunition dumps and destroyed enemy equipment. born in Dublin
Blake James "Spanish" Blake
1560 20 Feb 1635 spy born in Galway
Bligh William Bligh   9 Sep 1754 7 Dec 1817 In 1800 he completed a major survey of Dublin harbour and recommended that the North Bull Wall should be constructed to prevent sand building up in the mouth of the harbour. He correctly forecast that this would create a natural scouring action that would deepen the river channel, and sand gradually accumulated along the side of the North Bull Wall resulting in the modern Bull Island. None [1]
Bonny Anne Bonny   8 Mar 1697 25 Apr 1782 Pirate born "Anne Cormac" in Kinsale, County Cork. [2]
Brendan Brendan   484 16 May 577 Brendan "the Navigator", a legendary voyager, may have travelled to America. born in Ciarraighe Luachra (Fenit) in County Kerry,
Brown William Brown   22 Jun 1777 3 Mar 1857 Brown's victories in the Independence War, the Argentina-Brazil War, and the Guerra Grande in Uruguay earned the respect and appreciation of the Argentine people, and today he is regarded as one of Argentina's national heroes. Creator and first admiral of the country's maritime forces, he is commonly known as the "father of the Argentine Navy". born in Foxford, County Mayo. [5][6][7][8]
Byrne Michael Byrne
1761
A near-blind fiddler who served in the Royal Navy. His sixth ship, in 1787, was the Bounty under Captain Bligh. He survived the wreck of the Pandora. He was acquitted of the charge of mutiny. He later served under Bligh's nephew, Francis Bond, on the Prompte. born in Kilkenny


Baugh (Bagh, Bough, Boghe), William (c.1587–1619?), pirate

William Beatty (surgeon) (1773–1842), naval surgeon, was born in Derry,

Bingham | Edward Bingham Bingham, Edward Barry Stewart (1881–1939), rear-admiral, RN, was born 26 July 1881 in Bangor Castle, Co. Down

Henry Blackwood 1770–1832), vice admiral, was born 28 December 1770 at Ballyleidy, Upper Clandeboye Co Down

Browning, Michael (d. 1689), captain of the Mountjoy, whose Christian name occurs in various forms, including Micah, Micaiah, Micaill, and Mihal, is said to have been a native of Derry city,

Thomas Button (died April, 1634) officer of the Royal Navy and explorer engagement at Kinsale in 1601, where he commanded the pinnace Moone. In 1612–13 he led an expedition in search of the north-west passage, explored the west coast of Hudson's Bay and gave his name to Button Bay. He was appointed admiral of the king's ships on the coasts of Ireland, probably in 1614, and apparently for life. His Irish base was Kinsale, where he held command of the fort at Castle Park from 1616, who in 1612–1613 commanded an expedition that unsuccessfully attempted to locate explorer Henry Hudson and to navigate the Northwest Passage

Name Picture Born Died Notability Connection Notes
  • Cameron, Robert Rupert Gibson (1903–79), naval architect, was born 24 October 1903 at Carrickfergus, Co. Antrim,
  • Cammock (Camocke, Camock), George (c.1666–1722), sailor and Jacobite, was born in Co. Down, He served as first lieutenant of the Lion (1690) and the Loyal Merchant (1693) and was captain of the Owner's Goodwill (a fireship) and the Intelligence (1695–7), seeing action at the battles of Beachy Head and Barfleur and burning French ships at La Hogue. He captained the Bonettla off Cape Clear before serving with great distinction as captain of the Speedwell (1702) and Monck (1712–14), capturing many French privateers off the Irish coast
  • Colgan, Nathaniel (1851–1919), botanist, marine biologist, and traveller, was born 28 May 1851 in Dublin. In 1873 he was involved in the production of a magazine, Varieties, to which he contributed a number of papers and which he later edited. He also contributed to the Irish Monthly, Tinsley's Magazine and Hibernia, His 1896 monograph on the history of the shamrock in Ireland is still the definitive account,
  • Coppin, William (1805–95), sailor, shipbuilder, and inventor, was born 9 October 1805 in Kinsale, Co. Cork;
  • Coppin, Louisa (1845–1849) prophesied the as-yet-undiscovered location of Sir John Franklin's 1845 polar expedition to chart the North-west Passage.
  • Richard William Coppinger see [4] Coppinger, Richard William (1847–1910), naval surgeon, naturalist, and explorer, was born 11 October 1847 in Dublin. surgeon aboard HMS Discovery
  • Cormac Ua Liatháin in Durrow - prilgrim monk. mentioned several times by Adomnán (qv) in his ‘Vita Columbae’. He appears in the genealogies as ‘priest’, son of Dímma, grandson of Commán, and belonging to the tribe of Uí Liatháin,
  • Dombrain, Sir James (1793–1871), comptroller general of the Irish coastguard, and railway pioneer involved in waterford & wexford railway.
  • Farran, George Philip (1876–1949), marine taxonomist and fisheries scientist, was born 21 November 1876 at Knocklyon House, Templeogue, Co. Dublin
  • Edward Fegen HMS Jervis Bay
  • Richard FitzPatrick, 1st Baron Gowran , Royal Navy officer and MP, was the son or grandson of Andrew Fitzpatrick of Castle Fleming, Queen's Co. (Laois) MP for Harristown, Co. Kildare (1703–13) and Queen's Co. (1713–14) he was created Baron Gowran of Gowran, Co. Kilkenny, In September 1715 he was sworn of the privy council, taking his seat in the Irish house of lords on 12 November,

Fought in the Irish Confederate Wars refused amnesty and turned Tory, captured and sold with 300 others to Barbadian planters by Cromwellian forces. With three fellow Irish slaves stole a lugger, while loading sugar, and escaped. Joined L'Olonnois who, in time, appointed Greaves captain of one of his ships, crewed by escaped Irish slaves. He captured Margarita and looted a fortune in pearls. He retired but was arrested and sentenced to hang. He escaped after an earthquake and went whaling. Eventually he did retire, became respectable and died of natural old age.

  • Green, William Spotswood (1847–1919), marine scientist, was born 10 September 1847 in Youghal, Co. Cork,


  • William Hobson rn - first Governor of New Zealand - born in Waterford,
  • Robert Holmes sea captain - Robert Homes (Holmes) (1694–a.1743) was born 23 July 1694 in Stragullin, Co. Tyrone - influenced the decision of hundreds or even thousands of Ulster-Scots to leave Ireland for new opportunities in America.

Michael Joyce (MP) sailor & mp

File:Captain_Dulaien_Flag.svg‎
  • Henry Kellett (1806–75) vice-admiral (RN) and polar explorer, was born 2 November 1806 at Clonacody, Co. Tipperary,
  • Alfred Thayer Mahan (1840–1914) - US naval officer and author whose work, including "The Influence of Seapower Upon History, 1660-1783]]," inspired the creation of the modern United States Navy. (his father Dennis Hart Mahan may have been born in Ireland. - grandparent




  1. ^ Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
  2. ^ Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
  3. ^ Adventuress: Webster's Quotations, Facts and Phrases. Icon Group International, Inc. 2008. p. 371.
  4. ^ Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen claimed to have discovered the continent three days earlier
  5. ^ Spanish: el padre de la Armada Argentina. Used mainly in Argentina but also in other countries like the United Kingdom, see e.g. this BBC report. URL accessed on October 15, 2006.
  6. ^ Spanish: Guillermo Brown or Almirante Brown, see e.g. his biography at Planeta Sedna. URL accessed on October 15, 2006.
  7. ^ Irish: Béal Easa, see report at County Mayo's official website. URL accessed on October 15, 2006.
  8. ^ Irish: Contae Mhaigh Eo, according to its official website. URL accessed on October 15, 2006.
  9. ^ Coogan p 325
  10. ^ Coogan p 325