From colour photography to rubber soles and submarines, Ireland has created its fair share of things that have changed the world. Irish people have created some of the most important things which we are benefiting from today. Here are fifteen famous things the Irish gave to the world.

15. Modern Tractor

Harry Ferguson invented the tractor’s original Ferguson System in 1926.  It has the same basic design for modern tractors used today. Known as The Mad Mechanic, Ferguson also invented his own plane, race car and motorcycle. He was the first Irish man to fly in 1909. He also built the very first 4-wheeled Formula-One car.

14. Guinness

Guinness is the most popular and successful export of Ireland. Arthur Guinness started brewing the best-selling alcoholic drink of all time in Leixlip, County Kildare before moving to St. James’s Gate Brewery. Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000-year contract in 1759, showing how confident he was in his alcoholic drink. Today, the alcoholic drink boasts over $2.6 billion sales.

13. Whiskey Distilling Apparatus

In 1830, Aeneas Coffey introduced the first heat-exchange device in the world. This apparatus led to significant developments in distilling.

12. Ryanair

Love them or Loathe them, Ryanair is one of the most popular airlines in Europe. It is an Irish low-cost airline headquartered in Swords, Dublin, Ireland, with its primary operational bases at Dublin and London Stansted airports. In 2016, Ryanair was the largest European airline by scheduled passengers flown, and carried more international passengers than any other airline. The airline has been characterised by its rapid expansion, a result of the deregulation of the aviation industry in Europe in 1997 and the success of its low-cost business model. Ryanair’s route network serves 34 countries in Europe, Africa (Morocco), and the Middle East (Israel).

11. Ejector Seat

There were previous versions of ejector seats, but it was Sir James Martin’s invention that allowed pilots to eject from planes that moved at high speeds. The first live test of his ejector seat occurred in July 1946 and it was a success. An explosion blew away the cockpit and a second blast pushed the pilot out of the plane that allowed him to parachute to safety. Martin’s idea was approved by the RAF and within a year, the whole RAF fleet had been installed with ejector seats.

10. Primark/Penneys

A firm favourite with Irish shoppers, Primark/Penneys has been established in Ireland for almost 50 years. In 1969, Primark opened its first store in Dublin. Today, Primark has over 270 stores in nine countries in Europe. More recently, Primark opened its first store in the US with a flagship store in Boston. Primark has built its reputation on providing the latest fashion at affordable pricing. The next stage of expansion will see Primark enter the Italian marketplace, with overall revenues expected to reach €4bn.

9. Flavoured Crisps

Joseph ‘Spud’ Murphy was the man behind crisps and Tayto. Before his invention, the only flavour of crisp available was salt.  After several experiments, he created three crisp flavours – salt & vinegar, cheese & onion and barbecue. His invention changed crisps and companies from different parts of the world have since replicated his work.

8. Submarine

John Philip Holland has changed the way deep sea exploration could be conducted and the way war could be done at sea. Holland’s first prototype sank on its very first voyage. In 1881, he launched Fenian Ram and it was a success. He won three competitions held by the US Naval Department to design and construct submarines. After successful tests, the US Navy bought its first submarine Holland VII and continued to purchase six more.

7. Bacon Rasher

Henry Denny invented the bacon rasher. The Waterford butcher patented a number of bacon-curing methods and re-invented the way of curing bacon. Bacon was previously cured by soaking huge portions of meat in brine. Instead of chunks, he used long flat pieces of meat. Denny used dry salt instead of brine. He started exporting to the Americas, mainland Europe and India.

6. Colour Photography

John Joly is certainly one of the most productive inventors of Ireland. He invented the meldometer, a device used to measure the melting points of mineral. John Joly was also the one responsible for photometer and steam calorimeter. Photometer is used to measure light intensity and steam calorimeter was designed for measuring specific heats. He was also responsible for using radiation for treating cancer. However, his most popular invention would be colour photography. In 1894, John Joly discovered a successful means of producing colour photos from one plate. The viewing plate was marked with thin coloured lines and the glass in the camera was placed in front of the photo. The photo could then be taken, making the process a lot simpler.

5. Celtic Football Club

Celtic is one of the most famous and recognisable football clubs in the world. Based in Glasgow, this football club was founded in 1887 with the purpose of alleviating poverty in the immigrant Irish population in the East End of Glasgow. The founder was Brother Walfrid, an Irish Marist Brother from  Ballymote, a village in south County Sligo in north-west Ireland. The club has since dominated Scottish football and won many trophies including the European Cup in 1967. The club continues to remember it’s Irish connection with Irish flags waved and Irish songs sung at every game. Many of the club’s managers have been Irish including current Manager Brendan Rodgers who is from County Antrim.

 

4. Tank

The first armoured tank in the world came from Blackrock, Dublin. The tank was invented in 1911 when Winston Churchill, then Home Secretary in Britain, ordered the design of a vehicle that can withstand shrapnel and bullets, flatten barbed wire and cross trenches and muds. Modern tanks might look different to the original design, but the crucial battle buggy is still the same.

3. Trans-Atlantic Calls

In 1865, an Irish man established the Atlantic Telegraph Cable. Lord Kelvin Thomson helped in laying the cable that ran from Newfoundland to Valentia in County Kerry. His intense interest in thermodynamics and measurement of temperature also led to the development of The Kelvin Scale.

2. Cure for Leprosy

A cure for leprosy was accidentally discovered by an Irish man while he was seeking an answer to the tuberculosis problem afflicting Ireland. Vincent Barry created B663, a compound that saved 15 million people suffering from leprosy.

1. Portable Defibrillator

Professor Frank Pantridge invented the emergency defibrillator, changing and modernising emergency medicine in the process. In 1965, the first prototype was installed in a Belfast ambulance. Since then, emergency defibrillators have become an important first aid tool and saved a lot of lives.