Famous Irish Mathematicians

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 1 
Sir William Rowan Hamilton
(Irish Mathematician and Astronomer Who Contributed to the Development of ‘Optics’, ‘Classical Mechanics’ and ‘Abstract Algebra’)
Sir William Rowan Hamilton
13
Birthdate: August 4, 1805
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland
Died: September 2, 1865

Son of a Dublin solicitor, Sir William Rowan Hamilton was raised and educated by his priest uncle from age 3. Initially a master of languages such as Latin, Greek, and Persian, Hamilton began deviating to math at 16. He is remembered for his contribution to optics, Hamiltonian mechanics, and algebra.

 2 
Sir George Stokes, 1st Baronet
(Irish English Physicist and Mathematician)
Sir George Stokes, 1st Baronet
5
Birthdate: August 13, 1819
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Skreen, Ireland
Died: February 1, 1903

Sir George Stokes, 1st Baronet was an Anglo-Irish physicist and mathematician. He studied at Pembroke College, Cambridge, and spent his entire career at the University of Cambridge as the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics. As a physicist, he made key contributions to fluid mechanics and physical optics. He received the Royal Society's Copley Medal in 1893.

 3 
John Lennox
(mathematician, philosopher of science, university teacher)
John Lennox
13
Birthdate: November 7, 1943
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Northern Ireland

Apart from being an ace mathematician, John Lennox has also taught at institutes such as Oxford and is an emeritus fellow at Green Templeton College. A Christian apologist, too, he has penned books, such as Can Science Explain Everything?, exploring diverse topics, such as religion and artificial intelligence.

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 4 
Francis Ysidro Edgeworth
(Anglo-Irish Philosopher and Political Economist)
Francis Ysidro Edgeworth
4
Birthdate: February 8, 1845
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Edgeworthstown, County Longford, Ireland
Died: February 13, 1926

Francis Ysidro Edgeworth was an Anglo-Irish economist and statistician, known for his significant contributions to the methods of statistics. An autodidact in mathematics and economics, he imaginatively applied mathematics to the fields of economics and statistics, writing several books, including Mathematical Psychics, presenting new ideas on various topics like on the generalized utility function, the indifference curve etc.  .

 5 
George Salmon
(Irish Mathematician and Anglican Theologian)
George Salmon
3
Birthdate: September 25, 1819
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland
Died: January 22, 1904

George Salmon initially gained fame as a remarkable mathematician only to switch to theology in his later years. A linen merchant’s son, he graduated from Trinity College on a scholarship and then taught at Trinity and made developments in the study of algebraic geometry. He was later ordained a priest.

 6 
Robert Adrain
(Mathematician)
Robert Adrain
2
Birthdate: September 30, 1775
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Carrickfergus, County Antrim, Ireland
Died: August 10, 1843

Irish-born mathematician Robert Adrain moved to the US when he was 23, as a political refugee, after his campaign against the British Crown forces failed. In the US, he taught at various institutes, such as Rutgers and Columbia, and made significant contributions to algebra and statistics.

 7 
Abdusalam Abubakar
(Irish Scientist Who Won the 'EU Young Scientist of the Year' in 2007)
Abdusalam Abubakar
5
Birthdate: 1990 AD
Birthplace: Somalia

Abdusalam Abubakar is a Somali-born Irish scientist who won the  43rd Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition in 2007 at the age of seventeen. He represented Ireland at the 19th European Union Contest for Young Scientists in Valencia, Spain in 2007 and won first prize in the field of mathematics.