Life

He was born at Midleton

Midleton

Midleton, historically Middleton , is a town in south-eastern County Cork, Ireland. It lies some 22 km east of Cork City on the Owenacurra River and the N25 road, which connects Cork to the port of Rosslare...

, County Cork

County Cork

County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...

, the son of John Morrison, also an architect. Originally intended for the church, he was eventually placed as pupil with James Gandon

James Gandon

James Gandon is today recognised as one of the leading architects to have worked in Ireland in the late 18th century and early 19th century. His better known works include The Custom House, the Four Courts, King's Inns in Dublin and Emo Court in Co...

, the architect, in Dublin. He obtained through his godfather, the Earl of Shannon, a post in the ordnance department at Dublin, but this he abandoned, when he entered into full practice as an architect.

Having resided for some time at Clonmel

Clonmel

Clonmel is the county town of South Tipperary in Ireland. It is the largest town in the county. While the borough had a population of 15,482 in 2006, another 17,008 people were in the rural hinterland. The town is noted in Irish history for its resistance to the Cromwellian army which sacked both...

, where his son, William Vitruvius

William Vitruvius Morrison

William Vitruvius Morrison was an Irish architect, son and collaborator of Sir Richard Morrison.-Life:He was born at Clonmel, County Tipperary, second son of Sir Richard Morrison . His middle name derives from the first century B.C. Roman architect Marcus Vitruvius Pollio...

 was born, he moved about 1800 to Dublin and settled at Bray

Bray

Bray is a town in north County Wicklow, Ireland. It is a busy urban centre and seaside resort, with a population of 31,901 making it the fourth largest in Ireland as of the 2006 census...

, County Wicklow

County Wicklow

County Wicklow is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wicklow, which derives from the Old Norse name Víkingalág or Wykynlo. Wicklow County Council is the local authority for the county...

.

He died at Bray on 31 October 1849, and was buried in Mount Jerome Cemetery

Mount Jerome Cemetery

Mount Jerome Cemetery is situated in Harold's Cross on the south side of Dublin, Ireland. Since its foundation in 1836, it has witnessed over 300,000 burials...

, Dublin. Other sources claim his death in 1844.

He was a founder-member in 1839 and first vice-president of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland

Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland

The Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland founded in 1839, is the competent authority for architects and professional body for Architecture in the Republic of Ireland....

. In 1793 he published Useful and Ornamental Designs in Architecture.

Works

Morrison designed a number of works with his son, William Vitruvius, including Baronscourt, County Tyrone

County Tyrone

Historically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610-1620 when that land went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on...

 (from 1835), Kilruddery, County Wicklow

County Wicklow

County Wicklow is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wicklow, which derives from the Old Norse name Víkingalág or Wykynlo. Wicklow County Council is the local authority for the county...

, Ballyfin

Ballyfin

Ballyfin is a small village and parish in County Laois, Ireland. Located in the Slieve Bloom Mountains, the village is in the midlands of Ireland. It is located on the R423 regional road mid way between the towns of Mountrath and Mountmellick....

, County Laois

County Laois

County Laois is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It was formerly known as Queen's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. The county's name was formerly spelt as Laoighis and Leix. Laois County Council...

 and Fota

Fota Island

Fota Island is a small island in Cork Harbour, Ireland, just north of the larger island of Great Island. The name "Fota" is derived from the Irish "Fód te" meaning warm soil...

, County Cork

County Cork

County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...

.

A prominent work was his Gothick fantasy 1819 remodeling of Shelton Abbey, in Shelton Abbey, Arklow, County Wicklow.

Morrison had very extensive public and private practice in Ireland. Among his public works were alterations to the cathedral at Cashel

Cashel, County Tipperary

Cashel is a town in South Tipperary in Ireland. Its population was 2936 at the 2006 census. The town gives its name to the ecclesiastical province of Cashel. Additionally, the cathedra of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly was originally in the town prior to the English Reformation....

, the court-house and gaol at Galway

Galway

Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...

, court-houses at Carlow

Carlow

Carlow is the county town of County Carlow in Ireland. It is situated in the south-east of Ireland, 84 km from Dublin. County Carlow is the second smallest county in Ireland by area, however Carlow Town is the 14th largest urban area in Ireland by population according to the 2006 census. The...

, Clonmel, Roscommon

Roscommon

Roscommon is the county town of County Roscommon in Ireland. Its population at the 2006 census stood at 5,017 . The town is located near the junctions of the N60, N61 and N63 roads.-History:...

, Wexford

Wexford

Wexford is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. It is situated near the southeastern corner of Ireland, close to Rosslare Europort. The town is connected to Dublin via the M11/N11 National Primary Route, and the national rail network...

, and elsewhere, and the Roman Catholic Pro-cathedral

Pro-cathedral

A pro-cathedral is a parish church that is temporarily serving as the cathedral or co-cathedral of a diocese.-Usage:In Ireland, the term is used to specifically refer to St Mary's Pro-Cathedral in Dublin, the seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin since the Reformation, when Christ Church...

 at Dublin. He built or altered very many mansions of the nobility and gentry in Ireland, and was knighted by the lord-lieutenant, Earl de Grey

Earl de Grey

The titles of Marquess De Grey and Earl De Grey were created in the peerages of Great Britain and the United Kingdom respectively for descendants of the Greys, Duke of Kent and Earls of Kent, created 1465, who were unrelated or extremely distantly related to the family of the Earls Grey created...

, in 1841.