Launched by the President of the Royal Irish Academy in Academy House on 3rd October 2000
Foreword by Professor David Spearman, President of the Royal Irish Academy
Most people who have included science in their secondary education will have come across the name of Kelvin. Lord Kelvin of Largs, otherwise know as William Thomson, was born in Belfast in 1824. He is arguably the best known Irish mathematician/physicist , famous for his work in thermodynamics, which led to the absolute scale of temperature being named after him, and for the part he played in getting the first Trans-Atlantic telephone cable from Ireland to America to work. Some people may have heard also of William Rowan Hamilton, the inventor of quaternions, a form of algebra, and may know that he carved the basic formulae into the stone of Brougham Bridge in Dublin. George Boole is another Irish mathematician who may be known to many. His Boolean algebra is the basis of the mathematics of computers.
These three lived all or most of their lives in the 19th Century, but their influence on the world scene is still being felt. So too is the work of many more mathematicians with Irish connections and this book tells the stories of eighteen of them who lived and worked and died sometime between 1560 and 1992. These biographies are intended to give the enquiring lay person some insights into each person's work and each person's private life. The reader does not need specialist mathematical knowledge to follow them. Together they present a picture of Irish success in the international worlds of mathematics, statistics and physics.
This short collection of biographies has been written by present-day "mathematicians with Irish connections". Most of the authors work in Irish universities, carrying on the earlier traditions of teaching students and creating new mathematics or ways of applying mathematics. The other authors, similarly employed overseas, are part of the Irish Diaspora. The authors include Fellows of the Royal Society and Members of the Royal Irish Academy. The editor, Professor Ken Houston of the University of Ulster, is President of the International Community of Teachers of Mathematical Modelling and Applications. The book is published with the blessing of the Royal Irish Academy as an Irish contribution to the celebration of World Mathematics Year 2000.
Ireland has a distinguished record of mathematical creativity. But this is not as widely known or as generally recognised as one might expect. Outside Ireland, although the major figures and their achievements are familiar, they tend to be grouped with other English-speaking mathematicians and the Irish association is often overlooked. The lack of awareness here in Ireland is less excusable; it is associated with a general neglect of history of science, particularly in our universities. Although there are signs of increasing interest, and an expanding output of relevant publications, we have still a long way to go. Within the Academy the National Committee for the History and Philosophy of Science has provided an important focus for individual scholars interested in the field. The Royal Dublin Society has also provided support and encouragement. Some good work has been done in Queen’s University, Belfast. But we need a more serious engagement in research and teaching in the history and philosophy of science within our universities and must hope that we shall not have to wait too long to see this come about.
This book will undoubtedly help to raise the level of awareness of mathematical activity in Ireland, particularly during the 19th Century. Some very well known and famous mathematicians are presented; others, much less well known, also appear. The emphasis in the individual entries is biographical. While they attempt to give the flavour of the subject’s scientific work they generally avoid technical aspects and so, although holding a special fascination for those with an interest in mathematics, they should be accessible and interesting to a wide general readership.
The proposal to produce this book came from the National Committee for
Mathematics of the Royal Irish Academy. The Academy has long been
a focus for mathematical activity in Ireland – this was particularly the
case through the 19th century – and so it is especially appropriate that
it should be associated with this project. I congratulate the National
Committee on its initiative. Special tribute is due to Professor
Ken Houston who was chairman of the Committee from 1996 to 1999 and who
undertook the task of editing the volume. I had the opportunity as
a contributing author to appreciate the quiet efficiency with which he
carried out that task. Our gratitude is also due to the University
College Dublin Press, which readily accepted the invitation to publish
the book, and to its executive editor, Barbara Mennell.
David Spearman
President
Royal Irish Academy
This book is a collection of biographies of some “mathematicians with Irish connections” and it is written by practising, present day “mathematicians with Irish connections”. The criteria for inclusion in the book are that the subjects should be mathematicians of one type or another who were born in Ireland or who worked here for a reasonable length of time, and who are now dead. The subjects include pure mathematicians, applied mathematicians/physicists and statisticians who have severally made a significant contribution to the development of their subject, who would have enjoyed an international reputation for their work in their time and whose ideas are important to mathematics today. The list if subjects is not comprehensive and one could point to eminent people who are not included, not because we feel they are unworthy but simply because no one of those approached by the editor felt moved to volunteer to write the biography!
The essays are arranged in chronological order by year of birth of the subjects. Most were born in the 19th Century, one in the 16th and four in the 20th. Some of the names like Hamilton and Boole, will be well known, but the others have also made significant contributions to the development of mathematics and the education of young mathematicians in Ireland, and the whole of the island is included! Our first subject, Thomas Harriot, sailed the seven seas with Sir Walter Ralegh in Elizabethan times, and the most recently deceased of our subjects, Sir David Bates, died only five years ago.
The book is for the educated layman and for students who are training to be professionals. The biographies are intended to give a brief overview of the work of each subject, in non-technical language as far as is possible, and a brief picture of the personal life of each. Often knowledge of the personal circumstances of a subject gives insight into why he worked as he did. (Sadly there are no female subjects in our collection. There is at least one possible candidate but no one volunteered to write her story.)
The idea for this book came from the National Committee for Mathematics of the Royal Irish Academy, which comprises representatives from all universities and some other tertiary institutions in Ireland. It is intended to be part of the Irish contribution to the celebration of World Mathematics Year 2000 - WMY2K, and of, course, to the new millennium, (which doesn’t really start until 1st January 2001!). It was my privilege to be Chairman of the National Committee for Mathematics from 1996 to 1999 and I am delighted to be editing this collection. It took a little longer than originally planned to bring the book to a final state, but as 1999 draws to a close, it has, finally, all come together. I am grateful to the National Committee and to the Academy for their support and to all those who volunteered to write one or more biographies of their heroes.
Ken Houston
Editor
Books Ireland, No. 234, October 2000, page 289.
"A successful, delightful and useful book."
Ben Gribben in Books Ireland, No. 236, December 2000, page 361.
"Creators of Mathematics is a fascinating
book." "I would recommend the book wholeheartedly as an outstanding collection
of biographical essays for anyone who wishes to learn more about the history
of mathematics and science in Ireland."
See press clipping.
Mary Mulvihill in Technology Ireland, Vol 32, No 7, November 2000, page
6.
"This new book is a welcome addition to the growing
number of books on Ireland's technical and scientific heritage."
See press clipping.
John G McWhirter in Mathematics Today, Vol 37, No 2, April 2001, page
61.
"This is a most readable and enjoyable book which
I heartily recommend. It is full of life and human interest with numerous
insights into the history of mathematics and its applications."
See press clipping.
Helen Joyce in the Newsletter of The Society of Actuaries in Ireland,
February 2001, pages 5-6.
"Since the emphasis of the book is on biographical
material, it is widely accessible - for example, anyone interested in the
history of science or ideas, or anyone who has studied some maths, could
read and enjoy it."
See press clipping.