20th century Irish novelist, playwright and poet Samuel Beckett penned the play Waiting for Godot. In 1969, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.
1906-1989
Athlete George Best played for Manchester United and was named European Footballer of the Year in 1968. His brief career ended by the time he was 25.
1946-2005
Bono is the frontman of the Irish rock band U2. He's also known for participating in global charity efforts.
1960-
Irish actor Pierce Brosnan is best known for his recurring role as British spy James Bond in the popular James Bond film series.
1953-
1976-
James Joyce was an Irish, modernist writer who wrote in a ground-breaking style that was known both for its complexity and explicit content.
1882-1941
Shane McGowan is an Irish singer-songwriter who founded the folk-punk band the Pogues.
1957-
Spike Milligan was an Irish writer and comedian best known for his work on The Goon Show.
1918-2002
With her signature shaved head, Sinead O'Connor emerged with a powerful and expressive voice, complex songs, and a fair share of controversy.
1966-
Maureen O'Hara was an Irish-born actress who was billed alongside Hollywood's leading men in a slew of swashbuckling features in the 1940s.
1920-
Irish writer Bram Stoker is best known for authoring the classic horror novel Dracula (1897).
1847-1912
Author Oscar Wilde published several acclaimed works, including The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Importance of Being Earnest.
1854-1900
William Butler Yeats was one of the greatest English-language poets of the 20th century and received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923.
1865-1939