West Clare's most illustrious son was born at Dunaha, a few miles fron Kilkee, on 11th November, 1794. His grand-father was born at Lislanihan in the 1740's. The latter's son Eoghan Mor, on marriage went to live in Dunaha where Eoghan was born. His father was known as having a vast knowledge of Irish literature, music and songs and his house was o regular meeting place for all the scholars / and wandering poets and bards of Clare. Noteable amoung these was Peadar O'Connell from near Kilrush who spent his lifetime collecting words and idioms of Ireland, and he did likewise in the Highlands and Lowlands of Scotland. Then he compiled his famous Dictionary which unfortunately found its way into British hands and can now be seen in the British Museun in London. Eugene was keen to learn the English language and in order to do so he would walk into Kilkee during the summer months and mingle with the tourists.
After the Napoleonic Wars the O'Curry family moved to Limerick where Eoghan worked as a Stone Mason's Asistant on the building of the Wellesley Bridge. Later he was appointed Time Keeper. He subsequently got a job as Attendant at Limerick Lunatic Asylum, as it was then called. At that time the Royal Irish Academy was starting to collect Irish Manuscripts. One of their staff was introduced to Eoghan O'Curry and through this meeting O'Curry joined the staff of the Ordinance Survey Office in Dublin under G. Petrie. he startd work there in 1835.
John O'Donovan from County Kilkenny was also working there editing and translating Texts and Annals. O'Donovan was a born Topographer whilst O'Currys tastes lay in the domain of Texts and the History of Irish literature and Culture. They became close friends and married two sisters. O'Curry made transcripts of Irish Manuscripts which were in Louvain and in Brussels and which were lent to hinm by the Belgian Government. In 1849 O'Curry went to London to give evidence before the Public Library Committee of the English House of Commons and while there he visited the British Museum, and the outcome of this visit was that he compiled a Descriptive Catalogue of Irish Manuscripts of the Brihish Museum. During all those years he was also writing his "Manners and Customs of the Ancient Irish", which is now a Collector's piece, and several other books. At this time Cardinal Newman was trying to found his Catholic University and he appointed O'Curry to the Chair of the Irish History and Archaeology at the university. O'Curry in his sppare time worked on the Brehon Laws, on which irish Law is founded. He spent a summer working in the Bodleian Library at Oxford and he likewise spent years travelling all over Ireland collecting old Irish Songs and Airs and examining antiquarian remains. He died of a heart attack on 30th July, 1862.
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