Irish Contributions To The World.

Irish contributions to the world.

 

Ireland has long been recognised as the land of saints and scholars. However, over the years we have been major contributors in the field of invention and here are just a few. If you know of others and there are many why not post a comment on my blog page or on my fascebook page at www.facebook.com/pullupachairandsitawhile

Cheese and Onion Crisps

At one time you could only get potato crisps in one flavour, plain with salt.  However, in 1954, along came an Irishman of the name Joe ‘Spud’ Murphy, a pure genius.  It was he who in a kitchen on Dublin’s Moore Street developed the now classic Cheese and Onion flavour and the rest is history.

The Submarine.

In 1878, John Philip Holland, an engineer born in Liscannor, County Clare not only developed the first submarines for both the U.S. Navy and the British Royal Navy at the turn of the last century but he also built one for the Fenians.  It was 14foot long and weighed three tons.  The invention of the submarine has allowed us to explore the depths of the oceans.

The Tractor.

Harry Ferguson, born in County Down developed the first four wheel drive Formula One car and was also the first Irishman to build and fly his own plane.  In 1929 he also gave us the modern tractor.  His name lives on in the Massey-Ferguson Name.

 

 

 

Chemistry.

Robert Boyle, born in County Waterford came up the foundations of modern chemistry in 1661 when he published The Sceptical Chemist.

Nuclear Physics. 1944.

Ernest Walton could also be described as the inventor of a new field of scientific endeavour, and he was also from Waterford. Born in 1903 in Dungarvan, Walton, together with John Cockcroft, was the first person to artificially split the atom, thus creating nuclear physics and making possible power-stations, A-bombs and everything they brought with them. In 1951, he became Ireland’s only Nobel science laureate, when jointly awarded the Prize for Physics.

The White House.

An architectural competition was held to find an architect that could design a House for the U.S. President, George Washington.  Washington had long admired the work of James Hoban, in particular Charleston County Courthouse which he saw when visiting the southern states and he gave the Kilkenny man the commission.  Hoban was influenced by our own seat of government, Leinster House in his 1800 design, so in effect you might be forgiven for referring to Leinster House as ‘The Green House’.

 

The Guided missile.

Louis Brennan, was born in Castlebar County Mayo in 1852. He was the inventor of the world’s first guided missile.  It was a torpedo type device which was used as a coastal defence weapon.  Fired in 1877 for 2000 yards or 1800 metres it was called the world’s first guided missile, it obtained a speed of 23 miles per hour.  Brennan also designed a monorail and a helicopter. Ironically for a man who lived for machines, he was killed when he was struck by a car.

 

Guinness.

Beer drinkers around the world have the Irish to thank for the invention of the Black Stuff. The stout, which is the best-selling alcoholic drink of all time in Ireland, but also popular globally, originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James’s Gate, Dublin. On 31 December 1759 he signed a 9,000 year lease at £45 per annum for the unused brewery.

 

In the field of literature we have, Jonathan Swift, Gullivers Travels.  C.S. Lewis, Chronicles of Narnia. Bram Stoker, Dracula.  Sheridan Le Fanu, Uncle Silas.  Oscar Wilde, Playwrite.  J.M. Synge ,W.B. Yeats, James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, Brendan Behan and John B Keane to name just a few.

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The induction coil -- found in car ignition systems, TVs and other electronic devices -- was invented by scientist and priest Nicholas Callan in 1836. Callan was from Darver in Co Louth, and he studied at Sapienza University in Rome. After returning to Maynooth as the new Professor of Natural Philosophy (what they called Physics back then), he began working with electricity in his lab -- which sounds like something Baron Frankenstein might have done. In 1837, he was generating an estimated 600,000 volts -- enough to give life to any monster.

 

Dr. James Drumm. 1930.

On a related note, Co Down-born chemist Dr James Drumm invented the rechargeable nickel-zinc battery in 1930, which is today used in cordless tools and mobile phones, digital cameras, electric vehicles and loads of other places. Drumm, born in 1897, was also involved in other scientific breakthroughs during a varied and colourful career: he produced an unusually fine soap and worked on an early version of food processing, as well as devising the battery which was used on Dublin trams for many years.

 

In 1681 Hans Sloane went to Jamaica and there he discovered locals putting cocoa beans in water. He thought it would be better with milk. Originally sold as a medicine, Cadbury’s began selling tins of Sloanes drinking chocolate.

1851. Robert Mallet. Founded Seismology, The Study of Earthquakes.

1851. Arthur Leared invented the binaural stethoscope.

1899. Humphrey O’Sullivan invented rubber soled shoes

1934. Leyland Armoured Car. Helped win World War II.

1894 Coloured photography. John Joly from County Offaly helped to change the way we see the world when he invented a way to produce colour photographs from a single plate. He also co-pioneered the use of radiation for cancer treatment

1970’s  Dr. Vincent Barry from Cork discovered  cure for Leprosy saved the lives of millions worldwide.

1891. Samuel O’Reilly invented the tattoo machine.

1887. The Steam Turbine was invented by Sir Charles Parsons, an Anglo-Irishman.

1900. Sir Howard Grubb came up with the reflector sight. It is used in many different weapons.

In 1805 Navan man, Sir Francis Beaufort, conceived the wind force scale that now bears his name. A distinguished naval commander, Sir Francis' 13-point 'Beaufort Scale' was adopted by the British navy in 1838.

Dr. Robert Collis a Dublin doctor pioneered the technique for feeding premature infants via a nasal tube as opposed to spoon feeding. Prior to inventing his new technique few babies survived, with his new technique of inserting a feeding tube through the nasal passageway it icreased survival rates by more than 85%. He also invented a simple, but affordable incubator for premature infants.

So there you have it. Irish contributions that have helped to change the world. I wonder which of you listening at the moment may be responsible for the next great Irish invention.