This person appeared on the old
Irish five pound note.
I did a little digging and it seems that there is no definitive information on the place of his
birth.
Ireland,
Scotland and
England have all claimed him as their own.
One source mentiones that a catalogue in the library of
St Francis of Assisi """designates Duns Scotus's commentary on the "Sentences" of Peter Lombard as "magistri fratris Johannis Scoti de Ordine Minorum, qui et Doctor Subtilis nuncupatur, de provincia Hibernia" (the work of master John Scotus of the Franciscan Order known as the subtle doctor, from the province of Ireland)."""
Note that Scotland received its name from an Irish
tribe that settled there. As an Irishman I am biased in the
matter of his birthplace, but I guess no one will ever know.
In The history of philosophy of western Europe Bertrand Russell recounts how Scotus travelled to Rome and whilst there retaught the Romans Latin, a language which had almost been lost to them during the various sacks that Rome
experienced under the barbarian invasions. I am not sure
of the veracity of this story, but it is nice and allows me to say that the Irish saved civilisation (yay!)