51.8981° N, 8.4688° W

CORK

Most Famous People Born in Cork, Ireland

Notable people
813
Peak decade
1980s
Median birth year
1951
Most distinctive
Camogie 305.7×

One of the purest GAA fingerprints on the site. The Camogie, Hurler and Gaelic Football counts run at roughly three hundred, two hundred and one hundred and fifty times the global baseline respectively — the county's century-long rivalries with Kilkenny and Tipperary rendered as statistics. Off the pitch, a thick Author bench carries Frank O'Connor and the Munster short-story tradition.

Through the Decades

One face per decade — the most globally famous figure born in Cork during each.

Notable Births by Decade

Click a decade to filter the list below. Peak: 1980s with 110 notable births.

What Cork Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Hurler is Cork's biggest profession — 20% of all notables (164).

Cork over-indexes on camogie — 305.7× the global rate.

Cork under-produces actor — only 0.5× the global rate.

  1. Hurler164
  2. Football153
  3. Politician70
  4. Player64
  5. Camogie27
  6. Actor23
  7. Writer16
  8. Sport16
  1. Camogie27305.7×
  2. Hurler164232.4×
  3. Gaelic Football16148.4×
  4. Player644.0×
  5. Judge82.1×
  6. Football1531.7×
  7. Author111.6×
  8. Militar151.5×
  1. Actor230.5×
  2. Writer160.6×

Profession Mix Over Time

Each band shows a profession family's share of Cork's notable births by decade. Hover the chart for the breakdown at any decade.

160016501700175018001850190019502000
  • Sports
  • Politics & Law
  • Writing
  • Film & TV
  • Art & Design
  • Military
  • Other
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Showing 39 of 813 notable people

0036 GEOGRAPHER

Anne Buttimer

1938 - 2017

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0068 THEOLOGIAN

Jerome Murphy-O'Connor

1935 - 2013

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0098 POLITICIAN

Michael O'Leary (politician)

1936 - 2006

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0100 POLITICIAN

Barry Desmond

Born 1935

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0107 FOOTBALL

Noel Cantwell

1932 - 2005

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0114 PLAYER

Tom Kiernan

Born 1939

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0128 PRESENTER

Bill O'Herlihy

1938 - 2015

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0136 FOOTBALL

Charlie Hurley

Born 1936

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0159 PLAYER

Noel Murphy (rugby union, born 1937)

Born 1937

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0160 ARCHBISHOP

Patrick Coveney

Born 1934

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0178 POLITICIAN

Hugh Coveney

1935 - 1998

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0205 REPUBLICAN

Dáithí Ó Conaill

1938 - 1991

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0213 LINGUIST

Breandán Ó Buachalla

1936 - 2010

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0219 BOXER

Mick Leahy (boxer)

1935 - 2010

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0224 HURLER

John Bennett (hurler)

1934 - 2016

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0230 PRIEST

Jeremiah Coffey

1933 - 2014

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0250 POLITICIAN

Eileen Lemass

Born 1932

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0414 ACTOR

Dónall Farmer

1937 - 2018

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0422 POLITICIAN

Máirín Quill

Born 1936

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0423 JUDGE

Brian McCracken

Born 1934

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0428 POLITICIAN

Toddy O'Sullivan

Born 1934

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0484 DIPLOMAT

Mahon Hayes

1930 - 2011

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0513 FOOTBALL

Jimmy Brohan

Born 1935

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0519 FOOTBALL

Donal Leahy

1938 - 2015

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0522 HURLER

Johnny Clifford

1934 - 2007

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0527 FILMMAKER

Louis Marcus (filmmaker)

Born 1936

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0575 HURLER

Mick Cashman

1931 - 1990

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0576 HURLER

Tony O'Shaughnessy

1930 - 2006

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0594 HURLER

Paddy Philpott

1936 - 2016

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0633 HURLER

Joe Twomey

Born 1931

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0638 MUSIC

Joe McCarthy (Irish musician)

Born 1936

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0646 FOOTBALL

Donal O'Sullivan (Gaelic footballer)

1930 - 2001

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0659 FOOTBALL

Éamonn Goulding

1934 - 1995

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0670 SPORT

Gerald Mulcahy

Born 1934

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0710 ACTOR

Michael Twomey (actor)

1933 - 2017

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0738 HURLER

Pat Healy (hurler)

1938 - 1970

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0743 HURLER

Christy O'Shea

Born 1936

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0781 HURLER

Mossie Finn

1931 - 2009

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0805 HURLER

Willie Walsh (St. Finbarr's hurler)

Born 1938

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