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Dictionary of Irish Biography in Schools

The Dictionary of Irish Biography online is freely available to Irish secondary schools through Scoilnet (www.scoilnet.ie), we have also created a resource for Leaving Certificate students featuring biographies of forty relevant figures from Irish history.

The Dictionary is the most comprehensive and authoritative biographical reference work for Ireland.

It outlines the careers at home and overseas of prominent men and women born in Ireland, north and south, and the noteworthy Irish careers of those born outside Ireland.

The Dictionary is widely applicable to the Leaving Certificate History syllabus at both ordinary and higher level, especially the ‘key personalities’ emanating from each topic of study. Both the ‘Early Modern Irish History: 1494–1815’ and the ‘Later Modern Irish History: 1815–1993’ fields of study are extensively covered by the breadth and range of the Dictionary.

We have created a resource specifically for Leaving Cert students, comprised of forty biographies for historical figures featured in the curriculum. 

The comprehensive range of nearly 11,000 lives found in the Dictionary are of considerable use to students of English, Irish, foreign languages, geography, science, technology, the arts, music, religion and any area in which there were outstanding achievers.

NOTE: The Dictionary is currently freely available without need for a password here: dib.cambridge.org.

When schools are back in session after the current Covid-19 crisis, you can access the Dictionary at dib.cambridge.org using an on-site device in your school or log in to Scoilnet and search for the 'Dictionary of Irish Biography'. The video at the top of this page (also available on YouTube) provides a handy guide on how to use the Dictionary's online database.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us. 

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