ABSTRACT
John Tyndall was born, probably in 1820, in Leighlinbridge, County Carlow, the son of an RIC officer and land agent for Steuart, the local Protestant landlord. His father, who came from a family of small landowners in County Kilkenny, supplemented his meagre income by working as a boot-mender. The family moved from Carlow to Castlebellingham, County Louth, for a short period, and then, on the family’s return to Leighlinbridge, John completed his education under the tutelage of John Conwill. Despite the fierce protests of his Protestant neighbours, John’s father insisted that ‘even if he was taught on the steps of the altar’ he would send his son to Conwill, who was a teacher of some renown. John left Conwill at the very advanced age of 19 years, equipped, as his father had hoped, with a well-rounded vocational training. This education included English, logic, book-keeping, drawing and, most importantly, surveying and associated mathematics.
