THE IRISH-born inventor of the submarine, John Philip Holland, will be celebrated at an event this weekend when one of the world’s leading experts on the former Christian Brother will give a lecture in Cork on his achievements.
Born in Liscannor, Co Clare, in 1841, Holland joined the Christian Brothers after attending CBS school in Ennistymon. Now, as part of its celebrations to mark its bicentenary, the North Monastery where he taught is hosting a programme of events at the National Maritime College of Ireland tomorrow to celebrate his life.
He left the Christian Brothers in 1873 and emigrated to the US but, as Tony Duggan of the North Monastery Bicentenary Steering Committee explained, it was while teaching at the school that he first began the experiments which led to him earning the title “father of the submarine”.
Mr Duggan, a former teacher at the school, said Holland taught at the North Monastery between 1858 and 1861, and it was while there that he began experimenting with models in the school’s ornamental pond.
After emigrating to the US, Holland spent the next 40 years developing and refining his designs – from his first effort, the 14ft long Holland Ibuilt in New Jersey in 1871, right through to his final design, the Holland VI, which was purchased by the US navy in 1900.
Both the Holland Iand the Holland IIare on display at the Paterson Museum in New Jersey. The museum's curator, Bruce Balistrieri, will give the keynote address at tomorrow's event.