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What have the Irish ever done for us?

Quite a bit, as it turns out.

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It’s the time of year again when we celebrate all things Irish but there is a lot more to Irish achievement than shamrocks, Guinness and “Kiss me I’m Irish” hats.

Ireland has been making a positive impact around the globe for centuries and what better time to celebrate some of those real Irish achievements.

The submarine

As unlikely as it may seem the modern submarine is indeed an Irish invention, developed by the talented John P. Holland from Liscannor in County Clare. The US Navy purchased Holland’s design in 1900 where the USS Holland became the first commissioned submarine in history. It’s success led to other navies also purchasing the designs including Japan and the United Kingdom where five ‘Holland Class’ submarines were commissioned.

Los Angeles

Without the efforts of Irish engineer William Mulholland the city of Los Angeles could never have existed. Mulholland was the engineer responsible for successfully supplying the growing city with fresh water. He built one of the world’s biggest ever civil engineering projects to transport the water from hundreds of miles to the east to the city and the scheme still serves the needs of millions of people every day.