John 'Bully' Egan of Herbert House
John Egan married Susan Pomeroy
Charlecille Cork
die 20 May 1810 August 1779
John ‘Bully’ Egan was born circa 1755 in Charleville Co Cork to the Rev Carberry Egan.
He attended Trinity College and graduated BA in 1773 and LL B in 1776. He studied law
in London and was called to the Irish Bar in 1778. He lived at Herbert House and also
had a town house at 13 Ely Place from 1778 to 1796. He married the Widow Holmes
(Susan Pomeroy) in August 1779 at Cork.
He was a very large man and noted duellist, who was known to fight other barristers on a
point of law. He was a good friend of Philpot Curran even though they too fought a duel.
He was a member of Grattan’s Parliament, representing Ballinakill, Queens County in
1789/90 and Tullagh on the borders of Cork and Waterford from 1790 to 1800. In 1790
he received an honorary degree and was Chairman (County Court Judge) of the Kilmainham
sessions. In the final debate in the Irish Parliament on the Act of Union in 1800, Bully
delivered a strong speech against the motion, upon finishing his speech: He shouted
"Ireland – Ireland for ever! and damn Kilmainham!". The Act passed which meant he was
likely to lose his position of chairman of Kilmainham. He was hoping for the judgment seat
in the Court Common Pleas in 1806 but remained as Chairman of Kilmainham until his death.
His house in Stillorgan on 26 acres was for sale from 1797 to 1799 from hence he moved to
Herbert House. He moved to a house on 9 acres at Seapoint from Herbert House. He died
on 20 May 1810. After his death a writ of execution, after a judgment was obtained in a legal
action for debt to allow the sheriff to levy his goods including his vast library.
1 James Egan born circa 1783 emigrated to Germany and was a page at the Court
of Zweibruecken.
©June Bow & Karen Poff – October 2018
John Egan married Susan Pomeroy
Charlecille Cork
die 20 May 1810 August 1779
John ‘Bully’ Egan was born circa 1755 in Charleville Co Cork to the Rev Carberry Egan.
He attended Trinity College and graduated BA in 1773 and LL B in 1776. He studied law
in London and was called to the Irish Bar in 1778. He lived at Herbert House and also
had a town house at 13 Ely Place from 1778 to 1796. He married the Widow Holmes
(Susan Pomeroy) in August 1779 at Cork.
He was a very large man and noted duellist, who was known to fight other barristers on a
point of law. He was a good friend of Philpot Curran even though they too fought a duel.
He was a member of Grattan’s Parliament, representing Ballinakill, Queens County in
1789/90 and Tullagh on the borders of Cork and Waterford from 1790 to 1800. In 1790
he received an honorary degree and was Chairman (County Court Judge) of the Kilmainham
sessions. In the final debate in the Irish Parliament on the Act of Union in 1800, Bully
delivered a strong speech against the motion, upon finishing his speech: He shouted
"Ireland – Ireland for ever! and damn Kilmainham!". The Act passed which meant he was
likely to lose his position of chairman of Kilmainham. He was hoping for the judgment seat
in the Court Common Pleas in 1806 but remained as Chairman of Kilmainham until his death.
His house in Stillorgan on 26 acres was for sale from 1797 to 1799 from hence he moved to
Herbert House. He moved to a house on 9 acres at Seapoint from Herbert House. He died
on 20 May 1810. After his death a writ of execution, after a judgment was obtained in a legal
action for debt to allow the sheriff to levy his goods including his vast library.
1 James Egan born circa 1783 emigrated to Germany and was a page at the Court
of Zweibruecken.
©June Bow & Karen Poff – October 2018