We Irish have long been celebrated as writers, artists and musicians but did you know that we also have a great talent for ingenuity and invention?

The hypodermic needle, the modern submarine, the world’s first guided missile and the ejector seat were all Irish inventions. An Irish mechanic revolutionised farming with his lightweight tractor and, for more than 60 years, Ireland could boast the world’s biggest telescope – not to mention edible inventions such as Irish coffee and Irish cream liqueur, the bacon rasher and flavoured crisps.

With so much ingenuity and so many stories to tell, it’s hard to choose a place to begin.

Largest telescope
Let’s start in 1845, with the world’s largest telescope. It was built by William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse, at his home in Birr Castle, Co Offaly. Its six-foot mirror was the largest metal mirror ever cast, while the 54-foot long telescope tube was probably Ireland’s biggest barrel.

Arguably the Hubble space telescope of its day, it is now lovingly restored and on show at Birr Castle, along with an exhibition on the inventive Parsons family.

William’s son, Charles, invented the steam turbine in 1884. This revolutionised marine transport and naval warfare, and made it possible to generate cheap and plentiful electricity. Thanks to him, you can now read this article!

First submarine
The first commercial submarine was designed by a Co Clare man, John Philip Holland. He hoped that a submarine would enable Ireland to defeat England’s imperial might.

Holland emigrated to New Jersey, where the Irish Fenians funded his early prototypes. After several attempts, Holland produced a successful design in 1898. The US Navy quickly bought six, inaugurating the world’s first submarine fleet.

Guided missiles
Meanwhile, Louis Brennan from Castlebar was designing the world’s first guided missile – an underwater torpedo that could be launched and steered from the shore by wire.

Brennan missiles, built in England and packed with explosives, had a range of 3km (limited by the length of the guide wires). For 20 years, they were the ultimate coastal defence technology and the British Navy installed them around Britain, Hong Kong and Malta, as well as one in Ireland to defend strategic Cork harbour.

Ejector seat
Another Irish military invention was the ejector seat. James Martin, a talented engineer from Co Down, developed the idea after his business partner and flying instructor was killed in 1942 while attempting an emergency landing.

Martin thought of using explosives to propel a pilot and his seat out of an aeroplane. His ejector seat, introduced in 1946, has since saved countless lives.

One for the farmers
Another important inventor from Co Down is Harry Ferguson. He modernised farming in the 1920s when he designed a safe, light and efficient tractor and plough system that dramatically improved farm productivity.

Medical inventions
In addition to military technology, Ireland has given the world countless medical inventions, of which the hypodermic needle is probably the best known.

In 1844 a Dublin doctor, Francis Rynd, was treating a patient who had severe facial pain. The traditional remedy of drinking a morphine solution had failed so Rynd put some morphine directly under her skin, near the facial nerve. The world’s first subcutaneous injection was successful and, that night, the patient slept well for the first time in months.

From the sky to rashers
All of which leaves me without enough time to tell you about the brilliant John Tyndall, the Carlow scientist who explained why the sky is blue, or about Dublin engineer Robert Mallet, who pioneered the science of seismology in 1846. I’ve also left myself without enough time to tell you about how a 19th-century Waterford butcher produced thin slices of bacon that were easy to preserve and to cook or about many of Ireland’s other great innovators and inventors.

However, hopefully, I’ve convinced you that the ingenious Irish deserve their rightful place in the hall of fame, alongside our better-known writers, musicians and artists.