In 2019 Shane Lowry from Clara in County Offaly won the British Golf Open and underlined his international sporting superstar status. But Lowry was not the first bearded superstar from Offaly. Bindon Blood Stoney was born in County Offaly in 1828 and he would go on to be an engineering heavyweight – though without getting the same acclaim as Lowry.
William Parsons put Offaly at the centre of global astronomy in 1845. He built the largest telescope in the world until the construction of the 100-inch (2.5 m) Hooker Telescope in California in 1917.
When you talk about Alexandra Basin, you are talking about the dreams of one young man: Bindon Blood Stoney. He was the assistant engineer who had considerable vision, and conceived of much larger ships one day arriving in Dublin port. Today all of the new quays and docks that were designed and built by him are still able to take the biggest ships that are capable of entering the port. Keep Reading
The name of George Halpin seems to pop up everywhere in Ireland. And Rathlin Island did not evade his engineering pencil; he designed the lighthouse on the east end of Rathlin. Opened in 1856, it was unique by having two lights in order to improve its visibility in foggy conditions.
St. John’s Point Lighthouse, first shone its light in 1844, and was designed by George Halpin Senior – famous for his expansion of Dublin port. It is the tallest onshore lighthouse on the Irish coast (Fastnet is the tallest offshore lighthouse)