Howard Grubb

In 1833 – 34, Thomas Romney Robinson commissioned Thomas Grubb (1800 – 1878) to build a reflecting telescope with a fifteen inch mirror for Armagh Observatory. This was one of the first major commissions from the Dublin firm which became leading international suppliers of telescopes and astronomical equipment, and the greatest scientific instrument makers which Ireland has produced.

Thomas’ son, Howard, born in Dublin, joined his father’s firm in 1865. They built a 48 inch mirror diameter reflecting telescope for Melbourne in 1869, a 27 inch lens diameter refracting telescope for Vienna in 1880. They also supplied many other large telescopes for such places as Madras, Madrid, Mecca and Mississippi.

Howard achieved great international fame, becoming a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1864, and receiving a knighthood in 1887.
Grubb telescopes can be seen today at Armagh Observatory, Dunsink Observatory (Castleknock, Dublin), and in the Crawford Observatory on the campus of University College Cork. All of these are refracting telescopes – that is, they use lenses rather than mirrors.