Harry Warren profiles Sir Howard Grubb

 

In the heart of Rathmines, tucked down unassuming Observatory Lane, a simple plaque marks the legacy of one of Ireland’s greatest and most overlooked engineering minds, Sir Howard Grubb. Born in Dublin in 1844, this visionary engineer crafted telescopes of unmatched precision, instruments that brought distant galaxies within humanity’s grasp.

From his workshop in Dublin, Grubb engineered some of the most advanced telescopes of his era, instruments so precise they mapped uncharted galaxies and guided astronomers to new discoveries.
But his genius didn’t stop at the stars, during wartime, his optical innovations gave Allied forces a critical edge, proving that his brilliance was as strategic as it was scientific.

From Rathmines to the stars, this is the story of Ireland’s forgotten pioneer the man who taught us to see further.
Howard Grubb was born into a family where innovation was the family business. His father, Thomas Grubb, was a renowned engineer and founder of the Grubb Telescope Company, established in Dublin in 1833. Thomas was a pioneer in his own right, crafting precision instruments and even building the ‘Great Melbourne Telescope’, a reflecting telescope that was one of the largest of its time.

Young Howard grew up surrounded by the whirring of machinery and the glow of molten glass, and it wasn’t long before he caught the engineering bug.
Howard joined the family firm in the 1860s, and by 1868, he had taken over the business. Under his leadership, the Grubb Telescope Company became synonymous with excellence in optical engineering. His telescopes were not just tools for astronomers, they were works of art, combining precision craftsmanship with cutting-edge science.

Grubb’s telescopes were in demand across the globe. One of his earliest masterpieces was the 27-inch refractor telescope built for the Vienna Observatory in 1878. This was no ordinary telescope it was a marvel of engineering, with a lens so precise it could reveal the craters of the Moon and the rings of Saturn in stunning detail.

But Grubb didn’t stop there. In 1881, he completed the 28-inch refractor for the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England. This telescope was used for decades to map the stars and study the planets. It was a testament to Grubb’s skill that his telescopes were not only functional but also beautiful, with gleaming brass fittings and intricate mechanisms that seemed almost magical.

Perhaps one of his most significant contributions to astronomy was his work on the Carte du Ciel (Mapping of the Sky) project. This ambitious international effort aimed to photograph and map every star in the night sky.

Grubb designed and built the astrographic telescope for the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, which played a crucial role in this project. His telescope was so precise that it could capture the faintest stars, helping astronomers create a detailed map of the cosmos.

Grubb’s reputation as a master telescope maker grew with each new project. In 1887, he completed the 10-inch refractor for the Armagh Observatory in Northern Ireland. This telescope, still in use today, has been instrumental in numerous astronomical discoveries. Its precision and clarity have made it a favourite among astronomers for over a century.

Continue reading in this week’s Ireland’s Own