10 great Irish inventors

Published 26 January 2010

In the run-up to this year’s Engineers Week, here are 10 Irish engineers and scientists, some of their most famous and useful inventions, and links to more information about each of them:

1.    The submarine – John Philip Holland (184-1914)– Co Clare
2.    Nickel-zinc batteries – James J. Drumm (1897-1974) – Co Down
3.    The aircraft ejection seat – James Martin (1893-1981) – Co Down
4.    Tractors – Henry Ferguson (1884–1960) – Co Down
5.    Radiotherapy, and the first practical system of colour photography – John Joly (1857-1933) – Co Offaly
6.    The mobile defibrillator – Frank Pantridge (1916-2004)– Co Down
7.    Hypodermic needlesFrancis Rynd (1801-61) – Dublin
8.    Rubber tyres – John Boyd Dunlop (1840-1921) – Scotland/Belfast
9.    Monorails, torpedoes, early helicopters – Louis Brennan (1852-1932) – Co Mayo
10.    Incubators for premature infants – Robert Collis (1900-1975) – Dublin

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