Thomas Parnell, an Irish poet, born in Dublin in 1679, died in Chester in July, 1717. He was educated in the college of Dublin, took holy orders in 1700, and was created archdeacon of Clogher in 1705. He spent most of his time in England. With Pope, Swift, Arbuthnot, and Gay he was united in the closest friendship, and was a member of the famous Scriblerus club. He assisted Pope in his translation of Homer, .and wrote the life of Homer prefixed to the Iliad. His only other considerable prose composition was a satire on Dennis and Theobald, under the title of " A Life of Zoilus." Archbishop King gave him a prebend in 1713, and in May, 1716, presented him to the vicarage of Finglass, in the diocese of Dublin. A selection from his poems was published by Pope in 1722, and a supplementary volume, the authenticity of which is questioned, appeared in 1758. The "Allegory on Man," " The Hermit," " A Fairy Tale, in the ancient English Style," "Hesiod, or the Rise of Women," and a translation of Homer's "Battle of the Frogs and Mice," are among his happiest productions.

His life was written by Goldsmith.