Gerald Molloy facts for kids

Gerald Molloy (born near Dublin, Ireland, on September 10, 1834; died in Aberdeen, Scotland, on October 1, 1906) was an important Irish Roman Catholic priest, a deep thinker (theologian), and a scientist. He was known for his work in both religion and science.

A Life of Learning and Teaching

Gerald Molloy went to school at Castleknock College. After that, he studied at Maynooth College. There, he focused on two main subjects: theology (the study of religious beliefs) and physical sciences (like physics and chemistry).

He was very young, just 23 years old, when he became a professor of theology at Maynooth in 1857. He taught there until 1874. Then, he became a professor of natural philosophy (which is like physics) at the Catholic University of Ireland. In 1883, he became the Rector (the head) of the Catholic University of Ireland. He held this important job until he passed away.

Molloy also helped with many important educational groups. He worked on a group that looked at manual training in primary schools. He was also an assistant commissioner for a law about educational money. From 1880, he was a member of the Senate of the Royal University of Ireland. Later, he became a member of its governing board and even its vice-chancellor. He also worked with the Board of Intermediate Education.

Gerald Molloy was a very good lecturer and experimenter. He could make scientific topics easy to understand and interesting for everyone. He gave many talks on natural science, especially about electricity, for the Royal Dublin Society. He even had a public discussion with Sir Oliver Lodge about lightning conductors.

Just before he died, he was in Aberdeen, Scotland. He was there to represent the Catholic University at a big celebration for Aberdeen University. He was given an honorary degree called Doctor of Laws just a few days before his death.

His Important Writings

Gerald Molloy wrote several books and papers. Some of his well-known works include:

• Geology and Revelation (1870): This book talked about geology (the study of Earth's rocks and layers) and how it related to revealed religion (religious truths).
• Outlines of a course of Natural Philosophy (1880): This book was about natural philosophy, which is an old term for science, especially physics.
• Gleanings in Science: popular lectures on scientific subjects (1888): This book collected some of his popular talks on science.
• Notes on Electric Lighting: This book shared his thoughts on electric lighting.
• The Irish Difficulty, Shall and Will (1897): This book was about language use, specifically the words "shall" and "will."

He also translated parts of Dante's Purgatorio, wrote about the Passion Play at Oberammergau, and often contributed to different magazines.