The Rt. Hon. Alderman William Coffey

High Sheriff of Dublin: 1904

Served as locum tenens Lord Mayor for Joseph Hutchinson and Joseph Nannetti M.P. on several occasions

Lord Mayor of Dublin: 1909-1910

Ex officio member of the Privy Council

Alderman of Arran Quay Ward

Councillor for Arran Quay Ward

Colonel of Catholic Boys' Brigade

Member of first governing body of the University College [Dublin] (as per ‘The Dublin Gazette’ and reports in The [London] Times, June 1909)

Baptism records gives father as "Wm Coffey" and mother as "Rose Knowles" Sponsor 1: Joseph Waltar Sponsor 2: Ann Tyrell

As a boy/teenager went to live and work with his uncle Peter Knowles at 10 Arran Quay. Established butcher's shops/resided at 70 Queen Street (evidenced by registration of birth of his daughter Harriet in 1873); 6 Chancery Place (evidenced by registration of birth of his son Daniel in 1874); 101 Talbot Street (evidenced by birth certificate of his son William), and 14 [King's] Inns Quay. Brother-in-law Joseph Kearns and his sister Harriet Carroll both lived together at William Coffey’s residence at 14 Inn's Quay when they were widowed. Joseph Kearns also lived at 82 Aughrim Street, at various times, as did some of William Coffey’s Children including John and Annie. William primarily lived at 10 Arran Quay before moving to live with his daughter Annie and her husband Michael Kearns in his retirement. William Coffey was living at 82 Aughrim street with his daughter Annie Mary (Nan) and her husband Michael Kearns when he died. William Coffey also owned property on South Circular Road. William Coffey’s sons William and subsequently Joseph operated their father’s butcher’s shop at 25 Cuffe Street (by the corner of Harcourt Street and St. Stephen’s Green).

A conveyance dated 18 May 1887 records the purchase by William Coffey of 82 Aughrim Street from a Bridget Butler.

Dublin City Council records show: 1899: Councillor, Arran Quay Ward. Address 10 Arran Quay. Committee memberships: Markets; Waterworks & Fire Brigade; Public Libraries. 1903: Alderman, Arran Quay Ward. Address 10 Arran Quay. Committee memberships: Markets; Richmond District Lunatic Asylum joint committee of management 1904: Alderman, Arran Quay Ward. Address 10 Arran Quay. Committee memberships: Paving; Public Libraries; Richmond District Lunatic Asylum joint committee of management (as Traders' Council Nominee). Board/Commission memberships: Royal Irish Academy of Music; Commissioners of Irish Lights; Rotunda Hospital; Coombe Lying-in Hospital; National Lying-in Hospital, Holles Street.

Held the only Lord Mayor’s Temperance Ball on 17 March 1909.

Opened Great Brunswick Street [now Pearse St.] Library https://mairekennedybooks.wordpress.com/2018/03/10/a-splendid-build...].

Mentioned in James Joyce’s ‘Ulysses’ in ‘Lestrygonians’ chapter. Page 167 of the 1922 text: “Royal sturgeon. High sheriff, Coffey, the butcher, right to venisons of the forest from his ex. Send him back the half of a cow.”
https://en.m.wikibooks.org/wiki/Annotations_to_James_Joyce%27s_Ulys...

Irish Civil Marriage Register: William Coffey and Anne Kearns married at St Paul’s, Arran Quay on Wednesday 27 September 1871. William was a bachelor of full age, journeyman butcher 10 Arran Quay and “Anne Kearns” was a spinster, minor, of 58 Manor Street.

Records of St. Paul's Church Arran Quay show Joseph Kearns and Monica Kearns of 2 Cooke Street as witnesses.

William Coffey's will is dated 11 April 1921. The sole beneficiary was his daughter Annie Coffey. The will states "Whereas all my children with the exception of Annie my daughter , have been married [Annie married in 1925 after the wills was made but 12 years before her father died. Her sister Mary Margaret never married] or otherwise settled in life now I hereby will devise and bequeath to my said daughter....all the property of or to which I may die seized possessed or entitled for her own use absolutely and I appoint the said Annie Coffey to be the executrix of this my will..." In addition to money, shares, and policies, at the time of his death William Coffey held fee simple title to numbers 7 and 8 Arran Quay, which were let in tenements. He had presumably already conveyed his interest in 82 Aughrim Street to his daughter (and perhaps also her husband) as it is not listed on the application for probate as being one of his assets at the time of his death.

https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp104036/william-c...

https://catholicarchives.ie/uploads/r/irish-capuchin-archives-2/4/7...

http://centenaries.nationalarchives.ie/reels/plic/PLIC_1_3461.pdf

http://centenaries.nationalarchives.ie/reels/plic/PLIC_1_1717.pdf

https://catalogue.nli.ie/Collection/vtls000813270

https://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000640867