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Sir William Rowan Hamilton
Sir William Rowan Hamilton
Hamilton (1805-65) was arguably the greatest Irish scientist. He made many contributions to physics, especially in mechanics and optics, as well as inventing quaternion algebra. His greatest work is his general theory of dynamics. His Hamiltonian operator (H) was crucial to the development of quantum mechanics, and today it is used by physicists, engineers and even economists. Hamilton spent all his working life as Astronomer Royal at Dunsink Observatory.
Image: Sir William Rowan Hamilton, MRIA, 1805-1865 (© RIA)
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Fossil Footprints
Fossil Footprints
Some 385 million years ago, an early amphibian walked along a mud flat while the tide was out. The footprints it made in wet sand later turned to stone. The tracks were discovered in 1992 by a Swiss geologist on Valentia Island off Co Kerry. The creature resembled a salamander and lived partly on land and partly in water. It was about one metre long and waddled like a crocodile.
Image: Courtesy of the Geological Survey of Ireland
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William Dargan (1799-1863)
William Dargan (1799-1863)
Carlow-born William Dargan set up his own construction company. His projects included the railway line from Dublin to Kingstown and the Ulster Canal.
Wiki Commons
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Newgrange
Newgrange
Newrange is the best known but not the only astronomical monument in Ireland: a burial mound at Loughcrew, Co Meath, is aligned with the spring and autumn equinoxes; and a tomb at Knockroe, Co Kilkenny, is lit by the setting of the winter solstice sun. The burial mound is on top of a rocky outcrop and the entrance passage climbs uphill for 15 metres into the inner burial chamber. A special opening above the entrance is level with the floor of the inner chamber, and the rising Sun shines through this opening to light the chamber. Scratches on the underside of the stones suggest that various positions were tried before it was perfected. The winter solstice marks the end of the longest night and would be important in farming. But we can only guess at the full significance of this tomb-observatory and who, if anyone, would have been in the chamber to witness the solstice. The tomb was 'discovered' in the late 1600s but was not excavated until the 1960s. On December 21st 1967 at 8.58 am the archaeologists became the first modern people to witness Newgrange's astronomical phenomenon.
Image: Newgrange, Co. Meath (© Richard Gallagher)
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Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick is the national saint of Ireland
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Constitution of Ireland | Bunreacht na hÉireann
Constitution of Ireland | Bunreacht na hÉireann
The Constitution of Ireland | Bunreacht na hÉireann sets out the rights of Irish citizens
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Irish flag
Irish flag
The Irish flag on a flag pole, comprising of the colours green, white and orange
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Oisin leaves Niamh to return to Ireland
Oisin leaves Niamh to return to Ireland
Drawing shows Oisin leaving Niamh and Tir na nOge to return to Ireland. He promises Niamh that he will not set his foot on the ground in Ireland. Oisin was the son of Fionn, chief of the Fianna. Set in pre-Christian Ireland.
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Gaeltacht sign post
Gaeltacht sign post
Gaeltacht sign post
Courtesy of Gaeilge.ie
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Mountain river
Mountain river
Courtesy of the EPA