O’CONNOR, John (3 son of Francis O’Connor). b. co. Londonderry 12 Aug. 1830; call-boy at the T.R. Dublin 1842; painted scenery for sir E. Tierney 1844, and for earl of Bective 1847; a scene-painter at Drury Lane theatre April 1848, and at Haymarket theatre Oct. 1848, principal scene-painter there 1863–78; visited Ireland at time of the queen’s visit 1849, on return to London painted for Philip Phillips a diorama of The Queen’s visit to Ireland, which was exhibited in the Chinese gallery; A.R.H.A.; exhibited 20 pictures at R.A., 6 at B.I. and 25 at Suffolk st. 1853–80; drawing master to the London and south western literary and scientific institution 1855–8; painted scenery for Shakespeare tercentary performances at Stratford-on-Avon 1864; took a studio with lord Ronald Gower at 47 Leicester sq. 1872; painted act-drops for the new Sadler’s Wells theatre 1879, St. James’s theatre, and the Minuet act-drop at Haymarket theatre 1879; built a house at 28 Abercorn place, St. John’s Wood 1877, and lived there to 1888; painted The marriage of princess Louise and the marquess of Lorne 1871, The thanksgiving service in St. Paul’s 1872, and The jubilee service in Westminster abbey 1887; designed and directed many of the tableaux vivants held at Cromwell house and elsewhere; a member of the Cambridge amateur dramatic club for which he painted scenery many years. d. Heathcroft, Blackwater, Hampshire 23 May 1889. bur. Finchley cemetery.
O’CONNOR, John (son of Edward O’Connor of Mulgeeth house, co. Kildare). b. 1 May 1837; proprietor of many licensed houses in Dublin, and of a bacon curing establishment under the name of Donnelly & Co.; a representative of Inns-quay ward, Dublin 1880, alderman 1883, lord mayor of Dublin 1885; contested co. Kildare April 1880; M.P. South Kerry Dec. 1885, resigned Sept. 1887. d. 23 Rutland square, Dublin 12 Jany. 1891. bur. Glasnevin cemet. 15 Jany. Freeman’s Journal 13 Jany. 1891 p. 5, 15 Jany. p. 3.
O’CONNOR, Luke Smythe. b. Dublin 15 April 1806; ensign 1 West India regiment 27 April 1827, lieut. col. 21 Sept. 1855 to 29 July 1862; governor of the Gambia and commander of the troops in West Africa Sept. 1852; stormed Sabbajee the stronghold of the Mohammedan rebels of Combo 1 June 1853, and acquired by treaty considerable’ territory; stormed their stockade in the pass of Boccow Kooka 4 Aug. 1855; brigadier general commanding the troops during the rebellion in Jamaica 1865; member of privy council and president of legislative council of Jamaica; acting governor; granted distinguished service reward 27 Nov. 1855; C.B. 4 Feb. 1856; M.G. 24 April 1866. d. 7 Racknistrasse, Dresden 24 March 1873. A. B. Ellis’s History of First West India regiment (1885) 211, 365; A. B. Ellis’s The land of the Fetish (1883) p. 6 et seq.
O’CONNOR, Michael. b. near Cork 27 Sept. 1810; ordained R.C. priest 1 June 1833; professor of sacred scripture in the Irish college, Rome 1833, vice-rector; pastor of Fermoy, Ireland 1834–9; professor in ecclesiastical seminary of St. Charles Boromeo, Philadelphia 1839, president about 1840; built the church of St. Francis Xavier in Fairmount, Philadelphia; vicar general of western part of diocese of Philadelphia 1841; bishop of Pittsburg 1843, consecrated 15 Aug. 1843; introduced the order of St. Benedict for the first time into the U.S. of America 1846; brought a colony of Passionists from Europe, to Pittsburg 1852; finished the Pittsburg cathedral 1855, resigned his see 1860; entered a Jesuit monastery in Germany 1860; professor of theology in Woodstock college, Maryland 1862; socius to the provincial of the Jesuits, and preacher and lecturer in most of the great cities. d. Woodstock 18 Oct. 1872. Appleton’s American Biography iv 553 (1888) portrait.
O’CONOR, Denis Maurice (2 son of Denis O’Conor of Belangare, called The O’Conor Don). b. 1840; educ. Downside coll. near Bath; M.A. univ. of London 1861, LL.D. 1866; sheriff of Roscommon 1865; barrister M.T. 30 April 1866; M.P. co. Sligo 2 Dec. 1868 to death. d. 110 Queen’s Gate, Kensington, London 26 July 1883.
O’CONOR, Sir Richard (2 son of sir Patrick O’Conor of Cork). b. Marble hill, co. Cork 1784; entered navy Sept. 1798; superintendent of the naval yards on the Canadian lakes 1813; commanded the boats at the capture of Oswego 1814; captain 16 Aug. 1814; K.C.H. 25 Jany. 1836; retired 1 Oct. 1846; a retired R.A. 2 Sept. 1850. d. 73 Westbourne terrace, Hyde park, London 10 Jany. 1855.
O’CONOR, Thomas. b. Dublin 1 Sept. 1770; went to U.S. of America 1801; established with Wm. Kernan a settlement on a tract of 40,000 acres in Steuben, co. New York; resided in New York many years before his death; edited various periodicals, including the Military monitor established 1812, the Shamrock and the Globe founded 1819; author of Selections from several literary works 1821; The Inquisition examined by An impartial observer 1825. d. New York 9 Feb. 1855.
O’CONOR, William Anderson. b. Cork 1820; studied at Trin. coll. Dublin 1849, B.A. 1864; entered St. Aidan’s theological college at Birkenhead, and became lecturer on Latin; ordained to curacy of St. Nicholas’s, Liverpool 1853; C. of St. Thomas’s, Liverpool 1854; C. of St. Michael with St. Olave, Chester 1855–8; R. of St. Simon and St. Jude, Manchester 1858 to death; wrote many papers for Manchester statistical society and Manchester literary club 1875 etc.; author of Miracles not antecedently incredible 1861; Faith and works 1868, 5 ed. 1885; The truth and the church 1869; A commentary on the epistle to the Romans 1871, 2 ed. 1886; The epistle to the Hebrews, with an introduction and notes 1872; A commentary on the gospel of St. John 1874; A commentary on Galatians with a revised text 1876; History of the Irish people, 2 vols. 1882, 2 ed. 1886; The Irish massacre of 1641, 1885. d. Torquay 22 March 1887. W. A. O’Conor’s Essays in literature and ethics, edited by W. E. A. Axon (1889) memoir pp. v–xvii portrait; The Manchester Quarterly Jany. 1891 pp. 1–26 portrait.
O’CURRY, or CURRY, Eugene (son of Owen or Eugene O’Curry of Dunaha near Carrigaholt, co. Clare, farmer). b. Dunaha 1796; called Owen Oge or Young Owen; worked on a farm; an assistant in Limerick county lunatic asylum to 1834; employed in the topographical and historical section of the ordnance survey in Ireland 1834–7; copied, arranged, and examined Irish manuscripts in the royal Irish academy, Trin. coll. Dublin, and elsewhere 1847; member of council of Celtic society 1852, which in 1855 published a text and translation by O’Curry of two mediæval Irish tales: Cath Mhuighe Leana (The battle of the Plain of Leana) and Tochmarc Momera (The courtship of Momera); examined the Irish manuscripts in the British Museum 1849 and 1855, and wrote the manuscript catalogue of them for the library, a folio volume of 319 pages; professor of Irish history and archæology in the newly founded Catholic univ. of Ireland 1854 to death; delivered his first course of lectures 1855–6, 21 lectures by him were published at the university’s expense 1860; made facsimile copies of a genealogical manuscript of Duald Mac Firbis 1836, and of the Book of Lismore 1839 for the R.I.A., and of the Book of Lecan and the Leabhar Breac for Trin. coll. Dublin; copied eight large vols. of 2906 pages of the ancient Irish law tracts, and wrote out 13 vols. of a rough preliminary translation; edited A collection of ancient Irish law tracts, printed in facsimile 1860; Ancient laws of Ireland 1865; author of Lectures on the manuscript materials of ancient Irish history 1861; On the manners and customs of the ancient Irish, 3 vols. 1873. d. 2 Portland st. north, Dublin 30 July 1862. bur. Glasnevin cemetery. Irish monthly mag. April 1874 pp. 191–210.
ODAMS, James (son of a land steward). b. Wavenden, Bucks. 6 May 1815; apprentice to a chemist at Northampton; chemist and druggist Rye street, Bishops Stortford from 1837; one of the first to advocate use of artificial manure; assisted to send seeds to French farmers after Franco-German war 1871; erected cattle markets, on 10 acres, near Victoria dock, London, for foreign cattle to prevent contagion to English stock 1866; patented a manure made from blood and formed a company to manufacture it, called the Blood manure and nitro-phosphate co., of which he was managing director 1851; author of Why have a foreign cattle market on the Thames, and where 1866; Racks and troughs, remarks on transmission of cattle by rail 1873. d. The Grange, Bishops Stortford, Herts 6 Feb. 1881. bur. Bishops Stortford cemetery 11 Feb. Live stock journal 11 Feb. 1881 pp. 119–20; The Farmer 14 Feb. 1881 p. 253; I.L.N. 26 Feb. 1881 p. 216 portrait.