Introduction
To celebrate St Patricks day, we decided it was Irish innovation was a good place to start. Although Ireland may be a small nation, with a population of only 5 million, it punches way above its weight regarding innovations. Many might be surprised that Ireland has been home to some of the world's most remarkable inventions. Here, we explore nine significant Irish inventions in scientific, technological, and industrial fields, and how they improved people's lives.
Nine Amazing Irish Inventions
1. The Submarine (John Philip Holland)
In 1897, John Philip Holland, a teacher from County Clare, launched the world's first successful submarine in the USA. Holland had a keen interest in naval warfare. He dreamed of creating a vessel that could operate unseen beneath the waves.
After emigrating to the United States, Holland started to develop an underwater craft for an American-Irish organisation, the Fenian Brotherhood. After a few failures, he finally developed the Holland, the first practical submarine, for the U.S. Navy. Holland's invention transformed naval warfare and exploration.
2. The Portable Defibrillator (Frank Pantridge)
Frank Pantridge, a cardiologist doctor from Northern Ireland, revolutionised emergency medicine in 1965 with his invention of the portable defibrillator.
He was a WWII officer who became a prisoner-of-war following the fall of Singapore in 1942. Despite the harsh deprivations of POW life, he managed to survive the usually fatal condition of cardiac beriberi. This protein deficiency damages the heart, possibly a reason he became interested in heart disease. Building on the knowledge that a disturbance of the heart rhythm could be corrected with a brief electric shock to the chest, Pantridge used car batteries to develop a portable defibrillator. His idea was quickly adopted in Ireland and the U.S., even contributing to saving President Lyndon Johnson after his heart attack in 1972.
Pantridge's creation dramatically increased survival rates from sudden cardiac arrests outside hospitals. He is known as the 'Father of Emergency Medicine'.
3. The Hypodermic Syringe (Francis Rynd, 1844):
In 1844, Dublin surgeon Francis Rynd invented the hypodermic syringe. His idea stemmed from treating a patient who was receiving no relief for her facial neuralgia from oral medications. Dr Rynd then developed his hollow needle to apply the morphine under the skin to see if it worked more effectively. He published his success in the Dublin Medical Press in 1845. Shortly after, other doctors made further improvements, such as a glass vial to measure the medication, and so the modern syringe was born.
This invention paved the way for modern injectable medicine administration. This was a significant advance in medical treatments.
4. Ejector Seat (James Martin, 1945)
Initially raised in Crossgar, Ireland, Sir James Martin moved his small engineering company to England. There, he co-founded the Martin-Baker aircraft company. After his business partner and pilot, Baker, died in a plane crash, Martin turned to develop safety features in his aircraft. The British government asked him to develop a safe way for military pilots to eject from planes. While other ejector seats were being developed outside of England, Martin's seat set the new standard for the air safety of pilots. The first ejector seat was tested successfully in 1946.
Martin-Baker ejector seats are estimated to have saved over 7500 lives. Their invention provided a crucial safety mechanism for military aircraft.
5. The Guided Torpedo (Louis Brennan, 1877)
Born in Castlebar, Louis Brennan is credited with inventing the world's first guided torpedo. Brennan emigrated to Melbourne, Australia, with his parents as a child. After stints in watchmaking, civil and mechanical engineering, and the Victorian Army, Brennan invented the steerable torpedo in 1874. The Victorian government provided 700 pounds for development and in 1877, he patented the Brennan Torpedo. The idea was trialled at Camden Fort, Ireland, and then adopted by the British War Office, which purchased his patent. Although this was not the genuine first torpedo developed then, it is considered the first workable torpedo solution.
His invention, a precursor to modern guided weaponry, provided a strategic military advantage at sea.
6. Radiotherapy (John Joly, 1901)
John Joly, was an Irish physicist and geologist from Bracknagh who introduced radioisotopes for cancer treatment in 1901. A prolific inventor of new scientific concepts, Joly found a way of deriving radium and then applied it to treat cancer patients. He pioneered the 'Dublin method'- a way of providing radiotherapy into deep tissues. The method then spread worldwide. His pioneering work in radiotherapy significantly improved cancer treatment efficacy.
7. Binaural Stethoscope (Arthur Leared, 1851)
In 1851, Arthur Leared, an Irish physician, invented the binaural stethoscope. After gaining access to Malaysian rubber imports, Leared was able to construct rubber tubing that reached both ears. Leared was one of a few physicians who contributed to introducing the modern Y-shaped stethoscope we all recognise.
Leared's advancement allowed for clearer and more precise auscultation. This is the process doctors use to listen to a patient's chest, airways, heart, and abdomen to develop a medical diagnosis.
8. Colour Photography Process (John Joly, 1894)
Aside from radiotherapy, John Joly also developed a successful colour photography process in 1894. Joly created a three-colour filter screen by using a glass plate with very fine red, green and blue lines added to it. His method was one of the first to enable the capturing of life in colour - a major contribution to the field of photography.
9. Online Payment Software (John and Patrick Collison, 2010)
The Collison brothers, from the small town of Dromineer in County Tipperary, turned the online payment world upside down when they launched their software products under Stripe in 2010. These brothers were always headed for success as early entrepreneurs, becoming millionaires as teenagers after selling their first software company, Auctomatic, in 2008. However, their fortunes took another leap with the launch of Stripe in 2010.
Their software was able to ensure any website or app could easily accept payments without the need to secure separate licences or negotiate agreements with several banks and card issuers. This revolutionised the world of ecommerce and payment gateways almost overnight. Since then, the Collisons have continued to launch a fantastic array of further software products in the online financial world. Today, they have one of the highest-valued private companies in the world.
Conclusion
Each of these inventions, hailing from Ireland, brought about large advancements in their respective fields. These amazing advances not only highlight the ingenuity and creativity of their inventors. but demonstrate how small innovations can have far-reaching impacts on society and the world.
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