John Phillip Holland, who grew up in Co Clare before emigrating to the United States, developed the first modern submarine in the 1870s – a design that was formally commissioned by the US Navy. Shane Holland is a descendant of submarine inventor John Phillip Holland (Fintan Clarke Photography/PA)One of the inventor’s descendants is acclaimed Irish industrial designer Shane Holland. He has now made a huge 3.5m (11ft 6in) sculpture from aluminium, titanium and recycled glass in tribute to his famous ancestor. “I think what John Holland achieved was huge, yet he died in poverty. “But I think, if I met him at Art Source, I’d say ‘You were some fella to keep going until you realised your dream’.

Source: The Times November 05, 2023 17:22 UTC