Richard Manliffe Barrington

Born in County Wicklow in 1849, Richard Manliffe Barrington grew up in a family with strong scientific interests and later studied at Trinity College Dublin, where he earned an M.A. Although he worked as a farmer and land valuer, natural history became his lasting passion.

Most of his published work focused on birds. He contributed to the study of bird migration around Ireland and is especially known for The Migration of Birds, as Observed at Irish Lighthouses and Lightships and for The Birds of St Kilda. He also wrote reports on the flora of places including Lough Ree, Lough Erne, Ben Bulben, Tory Island, and the Blaskets, showing how broad his interest in the natural world was.

Barrington died in 1915, but his work still stands out for its patient observation and sense of place. He is also remembered as an energetic traveler and outdoorsman, with accounts of climbing and expeditions adding an adventurous note to an otherwise quietly scholarly life.