SULLIVAN, ROBERT (1800–1868), educational writer, son of Daniel Sullivan, a publican, was born in Holywood, co. Down, in January 1800. He was educated at the Belfast Academical Institute and at Trinity College, Dublin, where he graduated B.A. in 1829, M.A. in 1832, LL.B. and LL.D. in 1850. On the introduction of national education into Ireland he was appointed an inspector of schools, and was afterwards transferred to the training department as professor of English literature. He died in Dublin on 11 July 1868, and was buried at Holywood.
Sullivan was author of: 1. ‘A Manual of Etymology,’ Dublin, 1831, 12mo. 2. ‘A Dictionary of Derivations,’ Dublin, 1834, 12mo; 12th ed. 1870. 3. ‘Lectures and Letters on Popular Education,’ 1842, 12mo. 4. ‘The Spelling Book Superseded,’ Dublin, 1842, 12mo; 130th ed. 1869. 5. ‘Orthography and Etymology,’ 6th ed. 1844, 16mo. 6. ‘A Dictionary of the English Language,’ Dublin, 1847, 12mo; 23rd ed. by Dr. Patrick Weston Joyce, 1877. 7. ‘The Literary Class Book,’ Dublin, 1850, 16mo; 11th ed. 1868. 8. ‘An Attempt to simplify English Grammar,’ 17th ed. Dublin, 1852, 12mo; 85th ed. 1869. 9. ‘Geography Generalised,’ 17th ed. Dublin, 1853, 8vo; 71st ed. 1887, 8vo. 10. ‘An Introduction to Geography,’ 23rd ed. Dublin, 1853, 12mo; 92nd ed. 1869. 11. ‘Manual of Etymology,’ 1860, 16mo. 12. ‘Papers on Popular Education,’ Dublin, 1863, 8vo. 13. ‘Words spelled in Two or More Ways,’ London, 1867, 8vo.
[Webb's Compendium of Irish Biography, p. 504; O'Donoghue's Irish Poets, iii. 238; Allibone's Dict. of Engl. Lit.; Graduates of Dublin University, p. 549.]
SULLIVAN, TIMOTHY (1710?–1800), Irish poet, called in Irish Tadhg Gaolach, or Irish Teague, was born in co. Cork about 1710, and, after school education, became an itinerant poet, living chiefly in Paoracha, a district of co. Waterford. He wandered from house to house composing panegyrics, of which the best known are ‘Nora ni Ainle,’ in praise of Honora, daughter of O'Hanlon; ‘Do Sheoirse agus do Dhomhnall O'Faolain,’ to the brothers O'Phelan of the Decies, co. Waterford; ‘Chum an athar Taidhg Mhic Carrthaidh,’ to the Rev. T. MacCarthy; and sometimes satires. The subject of one of his satires cast the poet's wig into the fire, whereupon he wrote the poem ‘Ar losga a liath wig,’ on the burning of his wig. He also wrote an address to Prince Charles Edward, called ‘An Fánuighe,’ the wanderer, and several laments for Ireland, of which that in which his country is personified as a beautiful young woman, ‘Sighile ni Ghadhra,’ was long popular in Munster. Later in life he wrote only religious poems, addresses to the Trinity, to Christ, and to our Lady, a poem on St. Declan, patron of Ardmore, co. Waterford, and in 1791 a poem on the world, entitled ‘Duain an Domhain.’ These were often set to popular tunes, and had a wide circulation throughout the south of Ireland. Sullivan died at Waterford in May 1800, and was buried fourteen miles off at Ballylaneen. His epitaph was written in Latin verse by Donchadh Ruadh MacConmara, a celebrated local poet and schoolmaster. A collection of Sullivan's poems was published as ‘A Spiritual Miscellany’ at Limerick during his life, and another at Clonmel in 1816. John O'Daly published a fuller collection as ‘The Pious Miscellany’ in Dublin in 1868, with a short memoir in English.
[O'Daly's Memoir; Adventures of Donnchadh Ruadh MacConmara, Dublin, 1853 (this work, of which the author was Standish Hayes O'Grady, describes the literary society in which Sullivan lived).]
SULMO, THOMAS (fl. 1540-1550), protestant divine. [See Some.]
SUMBELL, MARY (fl. 1781-1812), actress. [See Wells, Mrs. Mary.]
SUMERLED or SOMERLED, Lord of the Isles (d. 1164), was, according to the Celtic tradition, the son of Gillebrede, son of Gilladoman, sixth in descent from Godfrey MacFergus, called in the Irish chronicle Toshach of the Isles; but some suppose him of Norse origin. His father, a reputed thane of Argyll, is said to have been expelled from his possessions, and forced to conceal himself for a time in Morven; but having placed his son at the head of the men of Morven to resist a band of Norse pirates, the son defeated them, and the prestige thus won enabled him afterwards not only to regain his father's possessions, but to make himself master of the greater part of Argyll, of which he claimed to be lord or regulus. Along with the pretender to the maarmorship of Ross, he rebelled against Malcolm IV in 1153, but found it necessary to come to terms with him. About 1140 he had married Ragnhildis or Effrica, daughter of Olave the Red, king of Man, by whom he had three sons: Dugall, Reginald or Ranald, and Angus. By a former marriage he had a son Gillecolm; and, according to the ‘Chronicle of Man,’ he had a fifth son, Olave. After the death of Olave, king of Man, Thorfin, son of Ottar, one of the lords of Man, resolved to depose Godfred the Black, king of
