He was born in Callan, County Kilkenny, Ireland, in 1762 and died in Waterford, Ireland in 1844. His remains are in a casket in Mount Sion, Waterford.
When Edmund's wife died after an accident in 1789, he devoted himself to prayer and charitable work, particularly with the poor and marginalised. Eventually, he opened a school for them but the children were so difficult to manage that the teachers resigned. This prompted him to give up his own business and devote himself to training teachers who would dedicate their lives to prayers and to teaching the children free of charge.
In 1802, he founded a religious congregation to continue his work and from this developed the Christian Brothers congregation.
The Christian Brothers grew throughout Ireland, England and Australia and today many schools in those countries owe their existence to his vision.