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Did you know that...
A lot of inventions were made by the Irish?
The submarine was invented by John Philip Holland (1841-1914) of Liscannor, Co Clare.
The dirigible torpedo, monorail, and first unmanned helicopter were all the creations of Louis Brennan
(1852-1932); was born in Castlebar, Co Mayo.
Wireless telegraphy and radio transmission were revolutionised by Marchese Guglielmo Marconi (1874-1937)
(his mother was Irish).
The first practical system of colour photography was patented by engineer, geologist and physicist John Joly
(1857-1933), born in Hollywood, Co Offaly.
Shorthand writing was first invented by John R.Gregg (1876-1948) of Rockcorry, Co Monaghan.
John Wigham of Booterstown, Co Dublin patented the first illuminated harbour buoy in
1869. In 1865 he fitted Howth Baily Lighthouse in Dublin Bay with the world’s first gas light.
Ultra-rapid cinematography and the electrocardiograph were both inventions of
Dublin-born Lucien Bull (1876-1972).
The first commercial use of refrigeration was made by Michael Cudahy (1841-1910)
of Callan, Co Kilkenny.
The armoured tank, or the first workable version of tank, was designed by Walter Gordon Wilson (1874-1957)
of Blackrock, Co Dublin and the London-born engineer W.Tritton.
The ophtalmoscope was invented by the surgeon and antiquarian William Robert Wilde (1815-76), the father of
Oscar Wilde.
The turbine was invented in 1884 by Charles Parsons (1884-1931), son of the 3 Earl of Rosse of Birr Castle,
Co Offaly.
Soda water was first artificially produced by Robert Percival (1756-1839) in 1800, professor of chemistry at
Trinity College, Dublin.
Irish coffee was first made at Foynes, Co Limerick by Dublin chef Joe Sheridan
in 1943.
Telescopes: Thomas Grubb (1800-78), born in Kilkenny, designed and built telescopes.
The Robert Boyle (1627-91) was born in Lismore Castle, Co Waterford, the son of the
Earl of Cork. His great achievement is ….
The Beaufort Scale, by which the velocity and force of winds are measured, is named after Francis Beaufort
(1774-1857) of Navan, Co Meath.
Seismology, the study and measurement of earthquakes, was invented as a modern
scientific discipline by Robert Mallet (1810-81) on Killiney Beach, Dublin in 1849. In 1857 he was the first
person to measure the epicentre, or focus, of an earthquake in Naples. He compiled the first seismic map of
the world.
The composition of ozone was originally determined by Thomas Andrews (1813-83), the first professor of
chemistry at Queen’s University, Belfast.
John Tyndall (1820-93) of Leighlinbridge, Co Carlow was the first scientist to discover
why the sky is blue.
The first railway in Ireland was constructed between Dublin and Dun Laoghaire (Kingstown) in 1831 by
William Dargan (1799-1867); he was born in Carlow.
New York City’s first subway was built between 1900 and 1910 by John B.McDonald (1844-1911) who was born
in Fermoy, Co Cork.
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