King of all Balloons: Belvedere House and the first aerial journeys across the Irish Sea
School of History and Geography, DCU
presents
‘King of all Balloons':
Belvedere House and the first aerial journeys across the Irish Sea
A talk by Oxford local historian and author Mark Davies
In 1812 the Oxford pastry cook James Sadler, who had become the unlikely first Englishman ever to fly in 1784, dramatically failed in his attempt to cross the Irish Sea after a well-documented launch from Belvedere House. Five years later his son Windham succeeded where James had failed, by flying from Portabello to Holyhead. The story of these inventive and courageous men and their Irish contemporaries constitute a little-told, yet momentous, chapter the history of aviation.
Date: Tuesday, 7th March 2017
Time: 6pm
Location: Room (SPD.D204), St Patricks Campus, DCU
Admission: Free