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Vallancey, Charles, General, an antiquary, was born in England in 1721. He entered the army at an early age, was attached to the Royal Engineers, became a lieutenant-general in 1798, and a general in 1803. He came to Ireland before 1770 to assist in a military survey of the island, and made the country his adopted home. His attention was strongly drawn towards the history, philology, and antiquities of Ireland at a time when they were almost entirely ignored, and he published the following, among other works: Collectanea de Rebus Hibernicis, 6 vols., between 1770 and 1804; Essay on the Irish Language, 1772; Grammar of the Irish Language, 1773; Vindication of the Antient Kingdom of Ireland, 1786; Antient History of Ireland proved from the Sanscrit Books, 1797; Prospectus of a Dictionary of the Aire Coti or Antient Irish, 1802. He was a member of many learned societies, was created an honorary LL.D., and became a fellow of the Royal Society in 1784. During the Insurrection he furnished the Government with plans for the defence of Dublin. Queen's-bridge, Dublin, was built from his designs. He died 8th August 1812, aged 91. There are portraits of him in the Royal Irish Academy and in the board-room of the Royal Dublin Society. In the light of modern research his theories and conclusions - a fanciful compound of crude deductions from imperfect knowledge - are shown to be without value, and such as would not now receive a moment's attention. George Petrie says: "It is a difficult and rather unpleasant task to follow a writer so rambling in his reasonings and so obscure in his style; his hypotheses are of a visionary nature." The Quarterly Review declares that: "General Vallancey, though a man of learning, wrote more nonsense than any man of his time, and has unfortunately been the occasion of much more than he wrote. The Edinburgh Review says: "To expose the continual error of his theory will not cure his inveterate disease. It can only excite hopes of preventing infection by showing that he has reduced that kind of writing to absurdity, and raised a warning monument to all antiquaries and philologians that may succeed him."

Vereker, Charles, Viscount Gort, was born in Ireland in 1768. He served a short time in the navy, and was afterwards appointed lieutenant-colonel of the Limerick militia. In 1790 he entered Parliament as a member for Limerick. During the Insurrection of 1798 he distinguished himself in several encounters with the insurgents; and upon the news of General Humbert's landing at Killala, he was ordered to join the army of Lord Cornwallis and General Lake. "With a small force he encountered the French at Collooney on 5th September, effectually checked their advance, and contributed largely to their defeat at Ballinamuck, where he was wounded. The thanks of Parliament were voted to him, and by royal proclamation he was permitted to adopt "Collooney" as the motto of his family. He was amongst the most active opponents of the Union - "his name was found in every division and his voice in every debate;" and in answer to Lord Castlereagh's overtures he declared: "I have defended my country with my blood, and there is nothing in the gift of the Crown that would tempt me to betray her by my vote." After the Union he represented Limerick until 1817, when by the death of his uncle he became Viscount Gort. He was a firm adherent of the Conservative party. He died, greatly beloved, 11th November 1842, aged 74.

Vigors, Nicholas Aylward, an eminent zoologist, was born at Old Leighlin, near Carlow, in 1787. He was educated at Oxford, where he published, in 1810, An Enquiry into the Nature and Extent of Poetic Licence. In 1809 he entered the Guards as an ensign, and was present at the action of Barossa in 1811. On his return home, he quitted the army, and devoted himself to the study of zoology, and, in particular, ornithology. In 1832 he entered Parliament for Carlow, and sat either for the town or county, with slight intervals, until his death in 1840. He contributed many valuable papers to the scientific societies of which he was a member. Mr. Vigors was one of the founders of the Royal Zoological Society, and acted as secretary from 1826 to 1833, when he resigned, finding a due attention to the cares of the position incompatible with his parliamentary duties. In politics he was a liberal; he rarely spoke, but was a diligent and efficient member of committees.

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