History of Astronomy Group – ‘Agnes Mary Clerke – from Skibbereen to the Universe’ by Janice McClean

Agnes Mary Clerke was a quiet home educated Victorian lady born in a small village in Co Cork. She went on to become one of the most renowned and respected writers of historical astronomy and problems of the cosmos. She had connections with the directors of most of the world’s greatest observatories in her time and her opinion and good advice was sought by them all on their publications. She spoke several languages including Latin and was an accomplished pianist.

This talk is the story of her life, how she came to leave her small village in the midst of the Irish famine, moved to Dublin then London where she spent most of her adult life, being finally buried in Brompton Cemetery. She lived in Italy for several years then finally settled with her brother and sister in a house in Redcliff Square in Belgravia.

She published widely in the…