Mathematics at Maynooth Until 1850: Teachers, Teaching, and Texts

In this chapter, we consider three aspects of mathematics at Maynooth College from its foundation until the mid-nineteenth century: the teachers of mathematics, the material that they taught, and the college’s mathematical collection. To place these in context, we start with a brief overview of events that led to the college’s establishment. Then, interrogating a range of sources, including archival materials and various histories, which feature perspectives on different facets of the college, we consider the lives and contributions of the first four professors charged with teaching mathematics at Maynooth. Their stories, often included in evidence and testimonies for various parliamentary reports, provide insight into the role of mathematics at this institution, and the lasting influence of French textbooks on the mathematics taught. They also allow us to explore student and staff opinions towards the subject. Furthermore, the significance and breadth of the mathematical texts now contained in the Russell Library, reveal that the scientific interests of the staff in question often continued beyond the material that they taught, including topics not endorsed by the Catholic Church.