Famous People Born In Limerick

A multitalented personality, Richard Harris was an Irish actor, singer, director and writer. He began as a stage actor and later moved to films. His famous films include This Sporting Life, Camelot, A Man Called Horse, Gladiator and the first two Harry Potter films. He released numerous musical albums, published a poetry book and ventured into film direction with Bloomfield.

Richard D. James, better known as Aphex Twin is regarded as one of the finest electronic musicians of all time. He is known for his signature grin, which has graced the covers of many of his albums, and his surreal videos, such as Come to Daddy, which look more like horror movies.

Irish radio and TV broadcaster, Terry Wogan, is remembered for his long career with BBC. For over 15 years, his weekday breakfast program, Wake Up to Wogan, drew in millions of listeners. At the peak of his career, he was probably the most listened-to radio broadcaster in Europe.  He was inducted into the Radio Academy Hall of Fame in 2009.

Irish politician, Michael Higgins, took office as the ninth president of Ireland in November 2011. Previously, he served as minister for arts, culture, and the Gaeltacht and mayor of Galway. As the president, he has actively addressed issues related to justice, social equality, social inclusion, anti-sectarianism, and anti-racism. He is also a poet, writer, and sociologist.

Irish-born Steve Finnan started his football career with the youth team of Wimbledon and then graduated to Birmingham City, Fulham, and Liverpool. Capped a little over 50 times for the Republic of Ireland, he is also the only player to have played for all 4 English football league levels and the Football Conference.

After working in an ad agency for two decades, John Flanagan began writing stories to motivate his son to read and eventually ended up writing what later came to be known as the bestselling book series Ranger’s Apprentice. He has also penned the Brotherband Chronicles series and other books.

David Chambers, better known as Blindboy Boatclub, soared to fame as part of the Limerick-based Irish hip-hop duo The Rubberbandits. Known for his signature style of using plastic shopping bags as face coverings, he also runs a podcast, has written two bestsellers, and manages a Twitch stream.

A prominent figure in the philosophical movement of Analytical Thomism, British analytic philosopher G. E. M. Anscombe is remembered for her writings on the philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, philosophical logic, philosophy of action, and ethics. The term consequentialism was introduced by her in the article Modern Moral Philosophy which has influenced the emergence of contemporary virtue ethics.

Apart from being a senior Gaelic footballer from Limerick, Gearóid Hegarty later also gained fame as a hurler, winning honors such as the All Stars Hurler of the Year. The son of retired hurler Ger Hegarty, Gearóid was born with sports in his blood. He also has an All-Star Award in his kitty.

Ada Rehan became a sensation in 19th-century America with her performances in Shakespearean and European comedies. She was part of the Big Four that performed under theater manager Augustin Daly and worked him for 2 decades. Katherine in The Taming of the Shrew remains one of her best-known roles.

A pioneer of American Methodism, Philip Embury was initially trained as a carpenter in Ireland, but became a preacher after being converted. He later moved to the U.S. and himself worked as a carpenter on the first Methodist church in the country. He unfortunately died in a mowing accident.

Helen Laird was not just an actor and costume designer but also a true-blue feminist. Initially a science teacher, she later became a prominent name in the Irish theater scene and came to be known by her stage name, Honor Lavelle. She was par of the Irish Women's Franchise League, too.