Anthony Cogan was born in 1826, one of five sons and three daughters of baker Thomas Coogan and his wife Ann Sillary,[2] his mother converted from the Church of Ireland to Catholicism to marry. Cogan trained for the priesthood in St. Finian's Seminary in Navan.
Cogan's work, which included a humanitarian dimension, led to the naming of a housing estate in his memory: 'Dean Cogan Place', located in Navan, where he had served as a curate.[2]
A plaque unveiled in 2003 adorns the wall of his birthplace on Main Street, Slane.[2]