1st Edition

Physicists of Ireland Passion and Precision

Edited By Mark McCartney, Andrew Whitaker Copyright 2003

    Demonstrating the strength of tradition in Ireland, Physicists of Ireland: Passion and Precision is a collection of essays on leading figures from the history of physics in Ireland. It includes physicists born outside of Ireland who carried out significant work in Ireland as well as those who had strong Irish roots but carried out their work outside of Ireland. The book is well illustrated with diagrams and photos of historical interest and rounded off with useful suggestions for further reading. It might come as a surprise to many that several leading English physicists are actually from Ireland.

    William Petty 1623-1687, by Norman McMillan
    Robert Boyle 1627-1691, by Duncan Thorburn Burns
    William Molyneaux 1656-1698,
    by Patrick Wayman and Norman McMillan
    Nicholas Callan 1799-1864, by Niall McKeith
    William Parsons, Earl of Rosse 1800-1867, by Bob Strunz
    Humphrey Lloyd 1800-1881, by James O'Hara
    Thomas Grubb 1800-1878 and Howard Grubb 1844-1931by Andrew Whitaker
    William Hamilton 1805-1865, by E F Robertson and J J O'Connor
    James MacCullagh 1809-1847, by James O'Hara
    Thomas Andrews 1813-1885, by Duncan Thorburn Burns
    George Stokes 1819-1903, by Alastair Wood
    John Tyndall 1820-1893, by Norman McMillan
    Sam Haughton 1821-1897, by Norman McMillan
    William Thompson, Lord Kelvin 1824-1907, by Mark McCartney
    George Stoney 1826-1911, by James O'Hara
    George Fitzgerald 1851-1901, by E F Robertson and J J O'Connor
    James Joly 1857-1903, by Dennis Weaire and Stephen Coonan
    Joseph Larmor 1857-1942, by Raymond Flood
    Frederick Trouton 1863-1922, by James O'Hara
    John Townsend 1868-1957, by Mark McCartney
    John McClelland 1870-1920, by Tom O'Connor
    Erwin Schrödinger 1887-1961, by Andrew Whitaker
    Cornelius Lanczos 1893-1974, by Barbara Gellai
    John Synge 1897-1995, by Petros Florides
    Desmond Bernal 1901-1971, by Roy Johnston
    Ernest Walton 1903-1995, by Brian Cathcart
    Walther Heitler 1904-1981, by David Glass
    William McCrea 1904-1999 by Ivan Williams
    Cormac Ó Ceallaigh 1912-1996, by Mark McCartney
    David Bates 1918-1994, by Ray Flannery
    John Bell 1928-1990, by Andrew Whitaker
    Lochlain Ó Raifeartaigh 1933-2000, by Siddartha Sen
    Index

    Biography

    Mark McCartney, University of Ulster and Andrew Whitaker, Queen’s University Belfast.

    "… a biographical approach to the history of science in Ireland. Essays on thirty-two men of science who were born or worked in Ireland are included …The authors use the biographical format well and most contributions admirably situate their subjects within their social and political contexts. … the accounts here are eminently lucid and a worthy addition to existing biographical material. … This is an excellent addition to a growing corpus of works and a fine point of departure for further studies."
    -Edna Leaney, British Journal for the History of Science

    "The editors of Physicists of Ireland show that there is also distinction in Ireland on the scientific side. They have produced short biographies of 33 scientists, with fascinating family background … It is clear from this book they have an excellent tradition to build on."
    -W. Hayes, Clarendon Laboratory, Oxford, UK

    "This is a truly fascinating book, incorporating as it does the archival value of the topic, the eclectic nature of the selected biographies, and the enigmatic philosophy behind the collection. I recommend it without reservation to all who would learn, ponder, or wonder about the lives and times of those searchers for truth that have gone before and held the torch for Irish physics the world over."
    -J.S.C. McKee, Physics in Canada, Vol. 59, No. 6 Nov/Dec 2003