Laurence Kettle

Laurence Joseph Kettle D.Sc. (27 February 1878 – 27 August 1960) was a key figure in the industrial and scientific advancement of early twentieth-century Ireland, serving as Chief Engineer of the Dublin Corporation, before being elected as President of The Institution of Civil Engineers and becoming the first chairman of the Industrial Research Committee. He was a founding member of the World Power Conference, a fellow of the Institute of Fuel and a founding member of the Irish Volunteers alongside his brother, the poet and politician, Thomas Kettle.

Laurence Kettle was born in Malahide, Co. Dublin, one of twelve children of Land League leader and Nationalist politician Andrew J. Kettle (1833–1916), a founder of the Irish Land League, and his wife, Margaret (née McCourt). He is the brother of writer, poet, Irish Volunteer and Member of Parliament (MP) at Westminster, Thomas Kettle, a man widely regarded as one of the greatest minds of his generation, who died in World War I.

Andrew Kettle influenced his sons considerably through his political activities, having been involved from an early age in the constitutional movement to achieve Home Rule. Andrew joined Michael Davitt in the foundation of the Irish Land League and was one of the signatories of the "No Rent Manifesto". He had adhered to Parnell in the 1890 crisis, and stood for election as a nationalist candidate on several occasions.

He received his early education in the O'Connell Schools, Dublin, at Clongowes Wood College, and at Faraday House, where he gained the Maxwell Scholarship. His varied practical training and early experience were gained with R. Stephenson, Newcastle upon Tyne, Maschinen- fabriJc Oerlikon, Switzerland, Société des Forces Électriques de La Goule, Switzerland, and the General Electric Company. He returned to Dublin in 1906 to join the corporation as works superintendent engineer and became deputy city electrical engineer in 1911 and engineer and manager in 1918. When the undertaking was taken over by the Electricity Supply Board (Ireland) in 1929, he was appointed adviser to the board.

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