No Scientist in Ireland's Greatest

RTÉ are asking us to vote on the greatest Irish person ever. They have compiled a "long - list" of 40 famous Irish faces (dead and alive) but no scientist appears on the list. Why not? The Irish have contributed so much to science and discovery, that surely the public should be given the chance to know more about them (the top 5 will have a hour long documentary produced by RTÉ on their life and achievements). But the shocking omission is even more staggering when you see the people who have made the list. Yes, there are many a poet and politician, but also featuring are Stephen Gately, Colin Farrell, Joe Dolan, Ronan Keating, Padraig Harrington and Louis Walsh! Surely we can replace these minor celebrities with people like Robert Boyle (pictured on the left), John Holland, John Tyndall, William Rowan Hamilton or Francis Beaufort?

Mary Mulvihill's excellent blog recently featured this story and there is now an online poll on Science.ie. So vote now and mark a scientist as one of Ireland's greatest!