THE strong connections between John Philip Holland, the inventor of the modern submarine, and Bantry, will be marked in an exhibition in the town this weekend.
Liz O’Mahony (nee Holland) from Bantry has been instrumental in researching the connections and will be unveiling some of the results in the town library on Saturday August 10th.
Clare-born engineer John Philip Holland (1841-1914) is credited with developing the first submarine to be formally commissioned by the US Navy and the first Royal Navy submarine, the Holland 1.
John Philip Holland was born in Co Clare but his father was from Bantry. (Photo: Wikipedia)
‘We have been aware for a number of years that John Philip Holland’s father was from Bantry, but had been unable to tie in any definite connections,’ Liz told The Southern Star.
‘Late last year we made a breakthrough on that and took the decision earlier this year to make the connection public for the benefit of tourism locally in the Bantry area,’ she added.
As a result, Liz has organised for the unveiling of a public information board in Bantry on Saturday. The information board will be placed in the ‘Spirit of Love’ garden by the Abbey cemetery Bantry.
‘Our plan on the day is to draw public attention to the connection with a little event and also for the benefit of all the Holland/Houlihan relatives locally – Houlihan being the older version of the Holland surname,’ Liz explained.
