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Thomas Romney Robinson (1793 - 1882):
Astronomer


Thomas Romney Robinson was born in Dublin and was taken to Dromore, County Down, when he was two years old. His family settled for a period in Lisburn, County Antrim, before moving to Belfast. He was educated at Belfast Academy and published Juvenile Poems in 1806, the same year as he entered Trinity College, Dublin. He became a fellow of the college in 1814 and served as Deputy Professor of Natural Philosophy. During this period he became a Member of the Royal Irish Academy. He was curate in Enniskillen before being appointed Rector of Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, and he also worked as an astronomer in Armagh from 1823. There he gained international fame for his observations, some of which he published in 1854 in Places of 5,345 Stars Observed at Armagh from 1818 to 1854. In 1851 he became President of the Royal Irish Academy, a position which he filled for five years, contributing many papers to its Transactions. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society, which presented him with a gold medal in 1862 for his valuable work in astronomy, and a member of the British Association. He invented the cup anemometer and researched in physics. He died at Armagh Observatory.


Born: 23 April 1793
Died: 28 April 1882
Kate Newmann