Earliest Irish Aviation History A Rare Tangible Memento [Fe...

Hammer

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Earliest Irish Aviation History
A Rare Tangible Memento

[Ferguson (Harry)] A framed piece of the broken Propeller, of the first plane, built and flown by an Irishman, Harry Ferguson, in December, 1909 at Hillsborough Co. Down.

Ferguson was born in Co. Down in November 1884. He became a mechanic and inventor and is principally known for his role in the development of the modern tractor. He also developed the first four-wheel drive Formula One car. In the 1900’s the young Harry became intrigued with the huge interest in the emerging technology of powered human flight and was captivated with the early American exponents of flight, the Wright brothers, who made the first ever plane flight in North Carolina, USA in 1903. The first person to achieve powered flight in England was Alliott Verdon Roe in June, 1908.
However, human flight had not been achieved in Ireland by that time. Harry developed a keen interest in the theory of flight and travelled to several air shows including exhibitions in Rheims on the Continent and at Blackpool England in 1909. He took notes of various designs of the early aircraft and came back fully enthused. He convinced his brother that they should try and build their own craft at their workshops in Belfast, which they did, and came up with the design for The Ferguson Monoplane.
They continued to tweak their design and made many changes and improvements, and finally decided to make their first attempt to get if off the ground at Hillsborough, Co. Down. They towed the plane behind a car through Belfast streets for the event. They were at first delayed with propeller trouble and continued to make alterations. After a delay of about a week, caused by bad weather, the plane finally took off from Hillsborough on 31st December, 1909.
Harry Ferguson became the first Irishman to fly and the first Irishman to build and fly his own aeroplane.
His exploits at Hillsborough were followed with a flight of one mile at Massereene Park, Co. Antrim in April, 1910, and in June, Ferguson made a number of flights on Magilligan Strand, where in August he won a prize for a flight of more than three miles. His most notable appearance was to be at Slieve Donard Hotel, Co. Down in July, 1910.

Provenance: The O’Rahilly Family of Michael Joseph O’Rahilly, Republican Leader, shot and killed in 1916.
O’Rahilly had become friendly with Ferguson about 1910 and both were founding members of the Irish Aero Club. O'Rahilly was instrumental in arranging for Harry Ferguson’s aeroplane to be displayed at Aonach na Nollaig, 1911. This was an exhibition to promote “Goods of Irish manufacture” held at Rotunda Hall, Dublin. Earlier O’Rahilly had brought his family to Newcastle for an air show in July, 1910 at Slieve Donard Hotel where a prize was offered for a flight from Newcastle to Belfast. The event attracted a very large crowd of about 20,000 people. Ferguson and his plane were the main attraction. However, on the day his plane never got airborne because of very windy weather, and in the attempt the plane’s wheel hit a boulder and the propeller was damaged. A member of the present owner’s family came away with this piece of the broken propeller, and it has remained at their family home 40 Herbert Park, Ballsbridge until recently. It is now being sold by one of the O’Rahilly grandchildren.
References:
Montgomery (Bob) “Early Aviation in Ireland”
O’Rahilly (A.) “Winding the Clock. O’Rahilly and the 1916 Rising” 1991.
McNally (Frank) “Irishman’s Diary. I.T.” Nov 2009