Identity area
Type of entity
Person
Authorized form of name
O'Mahony, James (1888-1973), Irish dancer and dancing teacher
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1888-1973
History
James O’Mahony was born in 1888 in John Street on the north side of Cork city to Michael and Catherine O’Mahony. He was orphaned at a young age and started school on the south side of the city in South Presentation Convent. He began dancing in St Dominic’s GAA Club on the north side of the city and was friendly with Willie and Freddie Murray, well-known Irish dancers of the day. James O’Mahony was a barber by trade and worked in Midleton, where he met his wife, Mary Cunningham. In 1935, they moved to Castlemartyr, where James opened a barber shop. He also taught Irish dancing in Castlemartyr and around East Cork. He died in 1973.