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Irish people have always been handy with a hammer.
Historically, look at all the great inventions we’ve contributed to the world. County Down’s own Harry Ferguson is credited with inventing the modern tractor and the first submarine was designed in County Clare by John Philip Holland.
That fine tradition has continued to this day, so here are a few modern Irish innovators with an eye on changing the world.
Cathal Redmond
University of Limerick graduate Cathal Redmond is the genius behind Express Dive. It allows you to breathe underwater for up to two minutes like some sort of half human, half fish. After two minutes you can replenish your precious air supply by returning to the surface and pushing a button.
What about the Scuba, we hear Scuba shareholders cry. Well, we’ve a bit of bad news for you because Cathal’s invention is smaller and considerably cheaper.
Cathal was awarded the runner-up place in the International James Dyson Award, a competition that celebrates and promotes innovation worldwide.
It’s like the World Cup for geniuses and we’re very lucky this fella is representing us.
Clip via RedCathal
Patrick and John Collison
The founders of Stripe are one of Ireland’s greatest Silicon Valley success stories.
Brothers Patrick and John Collison’s genius must have been apparent from an early age. Patrick won the 41st Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition when he was only 16.
John received 8 A1 and 2A2 grades in his Leaving Cert and the two lads had founded and sold its first company while they were still in their teens.
They founded the payment processing website in 2011 with the backing of some high-profile industry leaders including Elon Musk.
Stripe is now used in 25 countries and is seen as a market leader.
Clip via Stanford eCorner
Ciara Clancy
Ciara Clancy saw challenges faced by Parkinson’s sufferers whom she encountered while working as a physiotherapist. She explained that in a healthy brain there’s a metronome that keeps your balance and that in Parkinson’s sufferers this is impaired.
Through her app, this metronome is prescribed daily and has allowed previously debilitated people to do everything from going to the shops to finishing a marathon. Ciara’s invention is literally changing people’s lives for the better.
Pat Divilly
Trainer and author Pat Divilly‘s story is as inspirational as anything you’d see in a Hollywood movie about an underdog.
Like so many of his generation, Pat found himself in the post-Celtic Tiger netherworld of Irish employment. Opportunities in Dublin were few, so Pat borrowed money from his dad to come home for Christmas.
Pat began training people on the beach near his parents house initially out of financial necessity, but he soon found himself and his services very much in demand.
Now an internationally-renowned author, Pat has over 5,000 clients. His motivational talks and business acumen have brought him all over the world.
Clip via Pat Divilly
James Whelton
Whelton co-founded CoderDojo, a free coding club for kids, while he was still a kid himself in 2011 at just 18 years old.
The following year Whelton got the coolest job title in the world when he became “Hacker in Residence” with Resolute.vc.
Today, the CoderDojo is responsible for teaching tens of thousands of adults and children alike how to code. It’s opened doors for innumerable educational and occupational opportunities for all who enrolled and Whelton still has a long, bright future ahead of him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_gcHGa8J1E
Clip via coderdojo
Superstars, the lot of them.
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