Top ten surprising Irish inventions

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The underwater hairdryer, the inflatable dartboard the water proof teabag; the Irish get a fairly bad rap for being slightly dopey when it comes to the technical side of things.

Yes, we are advanced, in the world’s eyes, when it comes to literature and the arts but what about our scientific discoveries and inventions?

The results might surprise you. IrishCental.com found out that Ireland has been a pretty busy nation inventing some weird and wonderful stuff.

Here are just the top ten most surprising and influential.

1.    Guinness

Well maybe this isn't so surprising but its popularity and longevity have made it Ireland's most successful and recognisable export

Undoubtedly the most famous Irish export throughout the world. Drunk around the globe and loved by millions, its Guinness.

Arthur Guinness began brewing Guinness in Leixlip, County Kildare before transferring to St. Jame’s Gate Brewery. In 1759 he signed a 9,000 year lease at £45 per year. That’s how confident he was in his product.

Now, 251 years on, the best selling alcoholic drink of all time boasts of sales exceeding $2.6 billion. To Arthur, Slainte!

2.    Color photography

Certainly one of Ireland’s most prolific inventors, John Joly was responsible for meldometer for measuring the melting points of minerals, the steam calorimeter for measuring specific heats, and the photometer for measuring light intensity and use of radiation for cancer treatment.

What he is most known for however is the invention of color photography. In 1894 this Irish genius from Hollywood, County Offaly found a successful way of producing color photographs from a single plate. He changed the way we see the world.

3.    Trans-Atlantic calls

It’s a long way from Skype but it was an Irishman who was knighted for his work in establishing the Atlantic Telegraph Cable in 1865. Lord Kelvin Thomson helped to lay the cable which stretched from Newfoundland to Valentia in County Cork.

He also had a very keen interest in the measurement of temperature and thermodynamics which led to the scale of temperature, “The Kelvin Scale”.

4.    A cure for Leprosy

This one I’m especially thankful for. It was an Irish man who accidently discovered a cure for leprosy while he was looking for answer to Ireland’s tuberculosis problem. What a lucky mistake.

Vincent Barry made this accidental and miraculous discovery, with the catchy title of compound B663. This compound would go on to cure 15 million people of this devastating disease.

5.    The modern tractor

“The Mad Mechanic”, Harry Ferguson was responsible for the original Ferguson System of tractor. It was patented by the mad inventor in 1926 and is the same basic design for a modern tractor that is used today.

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